Heaven by Your Side
by veamgee
Summary: Yumi fell in love with Shimako at first sight. What happens when Sachiko meets Yumi for the first time and directly falls for her? Who will gain Yumi's love?
1. Chapter 1

This is my very first fanfic, so please bear with me..

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Maria-sama ga Miteru^^

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**_Chapter I_**

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9:30 A.M. It is a beautiful day upon Fukuzawa Yumi's arrival in Narita Airport, Japan. The sun shines brightly, casting down warm rays on her as she descends down the stairs of her plane. The brunette heir wore blue tight jeans on her bottom, a simple white shirt with a red jacket on top and rubber shoes as footwear. Her hair tied in pig-tails.

_It's strange_ she thought. She feels so at home even though she was raised in England. _Probably because Mom and Dad are born in Japan before they settled down abroad_ she reasoned out to herself. She looks up to the sky and remembers the conversation she shared with her family yesterday.

_Yumi and her mother, Fukuzawa Miki, was having a nice warm tea in their backyard. A comfortable and silent atmosphere surrounded the two Fukuzawa ladies. After moments of silence, Miki suddenly spoke._

"_Yumi, your Father and I have decided that you shall pursue your education in Japan."_

_Yumi almost spit the tea she just sipped but was able to hold after years of training on how to be a proper lady. "May I ask the reason behind your decision, Mother?" she asks tentatively._

_Miki smiled knowingly upon hearing the response of her daughter. She smirked as she answered "I am certain you are aware of our reasons.." When she heard no response from her daughter, she took it as a way for her to continue "But since you asked, the first reason is that we want you to experience a life wherein you won't worry about being the heir of the Fukuzawa Corporation. We want to see you happily smiling and not wearing a mask as you usually do here since you firmly believe that we 'need' you to be perfect at all times."_

_Yumi just sat there stunned of what she just heard._

_Miki continued "And secondly, isn't Todou Shimako-san there in Japan? Don't you miss her, dear?"_

_Yumi shifted uncomfortably upon seeing the teasing gaze and mischievous smile that graced upon her mother's pretty face. She blushed and replied "Of course I do, Mother. But I don't see any connection on why Shimako is one of your reasons."_

"_Oh really now?"_

"_Yes." With that, Yumi took a bite of her cake._

"_Oh my, Yumi. I didn't know you were such a cruel girlfriend…"_

_Yumi choked. "Mother! Shimako is not my girlfriend! Yet.." Yumi mumbled the last part._

_Miki laughed at hearing the response of her daughter. "Really now, Yumi?"_

"_Mother, please. I mean, I do like her" Yumi paused, not knowing what to say next. And so, she took a deep breath, chose her words carefully then stated "and I do think she's really kind and exceptionally pretty." Yumi was not able to finish her sentence for her mother spoke._

"_So why don't you just court her instead? Wouldn't that make things easier for you and Shimako? Besides, I do think Shimako likes you very much as well." Miki stated casually._

_Yumi, on the other hand, sat there speechless. Her face showed complete shock. She was caught off-guard of the words she just heard from her mother. "But" she started to say "That's just unacceptable! I mean, we're both girls! Wouldn't that be.." Yumi was cut mid-sentence by her mother, again._

"_A disgrace to the family name?" Miki stated as a matter of fact._

"_Exactly! That is why I can't and won't court her. Simply because I don't want to hurt any of you especially Shimako!"_

"_My, my. You have grown, my child." A voice joins the conversation._

"_Yeah. I never thought my sister would mature just by being in love." Another joins in._

_The two ladies brought their attention to the two newcomers, Fukuzawa Yuuchiro and Fukuzawa Yuuki._

"_Father? Yuuki? What are you guys-" Yumi was unable to finish her sentence for Yuuchiro cut her off._

"_The meeting finished early, my dear. Now, may I ask why you can't and won't court Shimako-san?"_

_Yumi blushed furiously for she was well aware that her father and younger brother heard the conversation she just had with her mother about a certain blonde beauty._

"_You see, Yuuchiro dear. Our daughter here thinks that she is forbidden to fall in love" Miki responded to the question of her husband._

"_Mother, this love of mine is not normal!" Yumi interjected angrily._

"_And why is that, my daughter?" Yuuchiro asked._

"_It's because I'm madly in love with a woman! A woman , Father! Mother! That can't be right, right?" Yumi answered back but froze and her face turned as red as a tomato after realizing she just admitted to her family she does have feelings for a certain Japanese beauty._

"_Is it that strange, sis?" Yuuki joined in the conversation, seeing it as a way to tease and see the cute faces that his sister makes. "It doesn't matter whether you are in love with the opposite gender or not. The important thing is that you are happy. Love isn't always perfect, right? You just said it yourself, you are madly in love with her so what's wrong of having a relationship with her? I'm sure our parents understand you completely. Right? Mother? Father?"_

_Miki and Yuuchiro nodded their heads as a way of agreeing to the point made by their son. The truth is, they don't mind who their children choose to live with in the future as long as they are happy._

_Yumi could not believe her ears. Was she hallucinating? She pinched her right arm. It hurt so that just means everything was real. She could feel tears threatening to fall from her eyes. She was happy for she knew that her family accepted her feelings towards Shimako. Now all that's left is to tell the person of her dreams. She stood up from her chair and gave her family a warm, big hug. She told them how grateful she was for having such a caring family._

"_Aren't you supposed to be packing by now? I mean, don't you want to see your beloved Shimako-san?" Yuuki said, breaking the touching moment._

"_YUUKI!" The whole household burst out laughing seeing a very flushed Yumi after her brother's statement. Yumi went out of the room to pack for her things right after she gave her brother a playful smack on his shoulders._

_Yumi left the next day smiling brightly determined to express to Shimako her feelings._

_I just love my family. Thank you, Maria-sama_. Yumi silently prayed to thank the Blessed Virgin for giving her a wonderful family. Yumi left the airport and proceeded to her house. She quickly unpacked her things and settled in. She took a bath and went shopping to commence her plan of surprising Shimako.

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So, what do you think? Should I continue or not? I do apologize if some sentences are grammatically wrong thus it is hard to understand, and some words are spelled out wrongly. I will do my best to correct them next time (if you do want me to continue)

Please review! Comments, suggestions, violent reactions and PMs are very much welcome! ^_^

Thank you for reading this story! Have a nice day!


	2. Chapter 2

That was quite a shock! :D Thank you for the follows, I really do appreciate it. I'll do my best in providing you guys a good plot, help me by giving me some suggestions, ok? ;)

**Witchgar:** Thank you for the welcome I know right? Yumi/Shimako pairing is rare so the idea of writing a story for both of them like intrigued my mind ;) and I thank you for the review!

**ItsBananas:** Thank you for the review! Honestly, I do like Yumi/Shimako but I love Yumi/Sachiko I'm sorry if things won't work out the way you like it would be in the future. You see, I just wrote this story in a whim so I don't have any outline of events/ a desired ending for this story yet. I did make a mistake with the characters hehehe anyway, I appreciate the review!

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_**Chapter 2**_

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_It was a bright and sunny day. Yumi Fukuzawa was standing in the veranda of the Fukuzawa estate. She heard the birds chirping happily in the trees, the lake shining brightly because of the rays coming from the sun, the servants happily talking with her parents outside the yard and the sky was in the shade of beautiful sky-blue. She marveled at the beautiful scenery she was witnessing and thus she suddenly decided to take a walk. _

_She entered her room and went straight to the wash room. After a few minutes of washing herself, she entered her walk-in closet and picked a simple blue shirt and short shorts. She took out her rubber shoes and her favorite hat. She decided not to tie her hair today. Yumi, in her simple clothing, looked quite charming. 'I am really like the complete replica of Yuki, aren't I?" she smiled inwardly as that thought came to mind._

_She went downstairs and was greeted by quite a number of servants that passed. She greeted them back with her radiant smile. The servants, in response, blushed furiously leaving Yumi to think they caught an unwanted fever early in the day. _(There are times in which Yumi is as dense as a rock, right?)

"_Mother, Father. May I go for a walk in the nearby park?" Yumi asked._

"_Why certainly, my dear. Would you like to be accompanied by your brother?" Fukuzawa Miki responded with her usual warm smile._

"_But Mother, I have other things to do. Yumi, can't you go there by yourself instead, please?" Yuki stated looking from his mother to his sister then back again, his eyes begging for them to agree. It's not like Yuki hated accompanying his sister to places she wants to go, it's just that, as the young president of the Shinwa Inc., a branch of the Fukuzawa Group of Companies, he has a lot of paper works to read that his secretary bestowed upon him for the weekend. Yumi, sensing the meaning behind the look her brother is giving, answered "It's alright, Mother. I'm sure Yuki is busy with other things related to the company. I'm a big girl now; I can take care of myself" _

"_Alright then, if you say so." Fukuzawa Yuuchiro stated._

_With that, Yumi bowed and said her farewells, promising to her family that she will return safely._

* * *

'_I haven't been out of the house for a long time now, haven't I?' "__Good morning, Mrs. Thompson__" greeted Yumi as she saw the lady. Mrs. Thompson was the very first lady she ever talked with when she was a child. She works as a private employee, has two lovely children and a loving husband; she is now in her late forties._

"_My? Isn't this a surprise? Good morning to you too, Yumi-chan. I haven't seen you for weeks now. How is summer vacation going?__" replied the good-natured lady._

"_I am having a good time! I'm planning to take a walk in the nearby park, would you like to come with me?"__ asked Yumi hopefully._

"_I would love to, dear. But I have work in a few minutes. Maybe next time, alright?__"_

_Although Yumi felt depressed, she completely understands the nice lady. "__Alright then, but you must go with me next time, ok?__" Yumi said feigning to be hurt. Mrs. Thompson couldn't help but giggle at the cute expression Yumi was giving her. "__Don't worry, I promise__"_

"_Yehey! I can't wait!__" Yumi replied enthusiastically causing the lady to laugh. Yumi bid her farewell and continued to walk to her destination. She greeted every person she passes by who in turn greeted her back. The whole neighborhood adores the caring, nice, cute heir of the Fukuzawa family. That is why; they feel happy every time they see Yumi smiling widely._

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_Yumi finally reached her destination after a few minutes of greeting the whole neighborhood, literally. As she entered the park, she was in awe. The whole place not only resembles the estate but also gives off a uniqueness of its own. There were quite a few people in the place. Children were playing about, others were jogging and some were feeding the animals. She decided to feed the animals and so she bought some bread._

_She walked towards the pond as something; rather, someone caught her eyes. She slowly came near the girl and said "Excuse me.." The girl was shocked of the sudden greeting and so she stood abruptly, hitting Yumi in the process. The contact caused Yumi to lose her balance; thus, she fell into the water._

_The girl's face turned from pale white to bright red. She was mesmerized with the sight right in front of her. Yumi was wet all over. The brunette's shirt, tight that it already was, became tighter due to the water. The wet shirt hugged Yumi's body, showing her ample chest and perfectly-shaped body curves. The fact that the water dripping from Yumi's hair, making her look even sexier to the young girl, didn't help at all._

"_I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hit you. Are you hurt anywhere?" the girl stammered while asking._

'_Is she speaking Japanese?' "It's alright, you don't have to worry. You see? I'm.." Yumi stood up to show that she was perfectly fine, and as she turned to face her companion, she wasn't able to finish her sentence._

_Yumi felt her hands starting to sweat, her heart thumping loudly inside her. _

"…"

_She wanted to speak, but it seems that her voice was stuck in her throat. 'Am I dead?' she thought. 'I must be'. She was face to face with an angel full of grace and rare beauty. The girl has golden, wavy hair that easily sways along with the wind; dark, gray-colored alluring eyes; a beautiful, angelic face; has a serene smile; and she could sense that she has a loving personality. She fell in love at first sight._

"…"

"_Are you sure you're alright?" asked the girl again, complete worry written all over her beautiful features._

"_Uhh.. Oh yeah! Yeah! I'm completely alright, see?" Yumi finally managed to say. She swung her arms to show that she is alright and that the beautiful angel has nothing to worry about. _

_The girl was shocked and at the same time amused of the energy that the person in front of her was showing. 'She's really adorable' she thought. She examined Yumi from head to toe. She could see that Yumi has beautiful big, honest mocha eyes; shiny auburn-colored hair; an adorable face; a caring aura; a warm smile; and luscious, red, kissable lips. She blushed as the last thought crossed her mind._

"_I-I really am sorry for hitting you.." she said again._

_Yumi did not understand why the angel was as red as a tomato. "I told you, it's no big deal."_

"_But.."_

"_But nothing, ok? My name is Fukuzawa Yumi, and you are?" Yumi said, extending her hands in the process to initiate a hand shake._

"_To-Todou Shimako. It's nice to meet you, Fukuzawa-san" Shimako hesitantly reached out for Yumi's hand. They held hands for a short while but that simple gesture sent chills to both of their bodies._

"_There's no need for you to be so formal, you know? Here's the deal, I'll call you by your given name and you'll do the same, alright, Shimako?" The latter could only nod her head in agreement as she was not able to trust her voice._

"_But, Yumi-san. Are you really alright? I really am sorry" Shimako stated._

_Yumi sighed as she wasn't able to convince her Shimako that she was perfectly fine with what happened. 'Wait. Since when did Shimako become mine?' Yumi grinned at the thought of Shimako becoming hers making her blush a nice shade of red in which Shimako found it very charming._

"_A-Anyway, Shimako, I see you speak Japanese, are you new here in England?"_

"_Actually, I just came here for a little summer break. Your quite good in speaking Japanese, aren't you Yumi-san?"_

"_Ah yeah, I learned it when I was still a kid and we speak Japanese at home since my parents are originally from Japan." 'I'm glad I took those extra linguistic lessons' "Where do you stay right now, Shimako?"_

"_I'm stayin with my uncle. He lives near here, actually." Shimako paused for a while, debating whether to invite Yumi into their property or not._

"_Is everything alright, Shimako?" asked Yumi after sensing the confusion in her angel's eyes._

"_No, nothing's the matter. It's just that.."_

"_It's just that?" Yumi repeated, encouraging Shimako to continue her sentence._

_Shimako decided to change the topic at hand. "Uhm, are you doing anything special today, Yumi-san? I mean, if you don't mind, why don't we spend the day together?" Shimako asked with a blushing face and hopeful eyes._

_Yumi was speechless. 'Would this count as a date?' she thought excitedly. "I'd love to!"_

"_Really?" exclaimed Shimako happily "I mean, that's great" 'Urgh, what's wrong with me? Why can't I act right?'_

_Yumi was amused of the sudden outburst Shimako gave. 'She's so cute' she thought, completely unaware that her companion was thinking the same thing._

"_Shall we go then, princess?" Yumi said, bowing as she mentioned the word princess. She walked past Shimako and halted in her place. She turned around and held out her hand "Here, hold my hand. This way, I can guard you properly from unwelcoming situations" With that said, the two beautiful ladies walked along the park content of the intimacy they were sharing._

'_She's so warm. I'll enjoy doing this everyday' Shimako, enjoying the warmth radiating from Yumi's hand, couldn't help but wonder whether the girl needed her warmth for she was still drenched in her clothing. "Yumi-san, wouldn't you rather change first before we go anywhere else?"_

"_Oh yeah, that's right. Hmm, since my house is near from here, would you want to come by?"_

"_Wouldn't I be a bother?"_

"_Pfft.. What bother are you talking about?" Yumi giggled at Shimako's response which in turn left Shimako turn beet red._

_The other occupants of the park saw everything; the slightly nervous exchange of words of the two, the quick side glances they give to each other once in a while and the comfortable aura they were giving off. They thought that although they are both girls, they are perfect for each other. They secretly offered the two lovely ladies, although they are not officially a couple, their best wishes in their relationship._

* * *

_After a few greetings here and there, the couple arrived at the Fukuzawa estate. Yumi ushered Shimako to enter her humble abode._

_Upon entering, Shimako was amazed of the size of the living room. She saw a two-way staircase in the middle of the room leading to the second floor of the building, the chandelier hanging from above and the painting on the walls gave it a more expensive and warm feeling._

"_My family is outside; would you like to meet them?"_

"_I would be honored to"_

_The two girls were walking along a long hallway for about five minutes. Shimako saw a large window-type door just ahead. She suddenly felt nervous. She felt her body shaking and tensing up as they reached the foot of the door. Yumi, sensing Shimako's change in demeanor, held her hands to reassure her that she will be just fine. "Don't worry, I'm sure they'll love you" Yumi flashed Shimako a charming smile._

"_I'm sorry to intrude, Mother, Father and Yuki" Yumi said. Upon seeing the curious-look her family gave her she continued "Well, I fell in the pond earlier so I came back wet, I'm sorry. Ah, this is Todou Shimako, by the way. She's a friend of mine I just met earlier. She speaks Japanese and she's from. . Well, she's from, uhh.." Yumi paused. She completely forgot that she isn't aware of where Shimako lives. She turned away from the teasing gaze her brother was giving and the amused look that her parents were desperately trying to hide. Shimako squeezed Yumi's hand to show her support._

"_I live in Japan, originally. I just came here to have a little break from school activities and I am currently staying in my uncle's house. It's nice to meet you all and I apologize for intruding in this magnificent house of yours"_

"_My Shimako-chan, aren't you a courteous girl? I wish our daughter would be like you as well" Miki stated teasingly, enjoying the cute pout adorning Yumi's face. "My name is Fukuzawa Miki, and this is my husband, Yuuchiro, and my son, Yuki. It is our pleasure to meet such a beautiful and refined maiden such as yourself" Miki introduced._

"_Th-thank you, Ma'am." Shimako stuttered._

"_Oh, there is no need for you to be so formal. You can call me auntie or maybe even mother" Miki stated while eyeing the two hands that fitted each other perfectly._

_Yumi totally forgot that she was still holding hands with Shimako. After hearing her mother's comment, the two of them abruptly separated their hands. The Fukuzawa family was enjoying the cute reactions the two girls were giving them. They ushered for the two of them to join them in tea in which the two gladly accepted. After a few minutes, Yumi excused herself to get changed. But before she left, she whispered into Shimako's ear: "I'll be back, please bear with them for a while"_

_Yumi left after a few seconds. There was silence in the place._

"_So, where is your uncle's house exactly, Shimako-san?" Yuki stated breaking the awkward silence._

"_Oh, it's quite near here actually. Just a few blocks away" Shimako politely responded, the tension leaving her._

"_Where do you school, Shimako-san?" Yuuchiro asked._

"_In an All-Girls Catholic school, U-Uncle"_

_After hearing the title Shimako used, Yuuchiro smiled fondly. They talked about various things. What sports do she like, the things that she usually do and so many more._

"_Are you the only child in your family, Shimako-chan?" Miki suddenly asked._

"_Yes. My father is the head of a Buddhist temple, actually" Shimako said, sharing a little bit of information about her life._

_The Fukuzawas were quite shocked of this revelation. 'They must be wondering how I got in. they must hate me now' Shimako thought sadly. The thought of never being allowed to see Yumi gave her immense pain._

_Miki sensed the sadness in Shimako's eyes and she felt extremely satisfied. 'So she does like our Yumi-chan'. She smiled and said "You don't have to worry. We're sorry if we were rude to you earlier. The thought of you being a Buddhist and entering a catholic school just shocked us, that's all"_

"_That's right. Besides, we feel that you really care for Yumi-chan and so we entrust her in your care" Yuuchiro added._

"_Yeah, I agree. We hope you guys will be happy. Just stay strong no matter what life throws at you" Yuki stated._

_Shimako was overwhelmed of what she heard. She thanked them wholeheartedly and promised that she will care for Yumi. As the group was exchanging their greetings, they were oblivious that a certain brunette heard everything. Yumi silently thanked Maria-sama for giving her the most understanding family. 'That's right, Shimako. I'll also care for you.' She waited for them to go back to sipping tea before she decided to make her presence known._

"_Shimako, let's go?" _

_Shimako stood up from her chair and went to Yumi's side. Together, they bid their farewell. Yuki suddenly walked behind and whispered into her ear "You do know it's impolite to eavesdrop? Miss won't be happy if she finds out" Yumi just smiled for she knew that her brother was aware of the fact that she was able to hear every single word._

* * *

_The two girls went everywhere with Yumi leading the way, of course. They entered from one shop to another. They were having lots of fun. After several hours of laughing, smiling and walking, they decided to rest at a bench in a park. They engaged themselves in a friendly chat. Suddenly, Shimako became silent._

"_What's wrong?" Yumi asked worriedly._

"_I'm just sad. I'll go back to Japan tomorrow; the first semester of high school is fast approaching. I'm afraid we won't see each other anymore."_

"_Oh.." is all Yumi could muster. She stood up from her chair and said "I'll be back"_

_Shimako waited patiently in her chair. She wondered where the brunette will go. 'I really had fun today. I wish I would just stay here. What if I won't be able to see Yumi again? Can I deal with that?' _

_Her thoughts were cut off as her attention was directed to the object that was held before her. Right in front of her was Yumi giving her a bouquet of white roses. She gladly accepted them and when she knew it, tears were rolling down her cheeks._

_Yumi wiped the tears that fell from Shimako's eyes. She was hurt to see that her angel was in pain. Oh how she wished she could take it all away. "Don't worry. We will see each other soon, I promise" Yumi held Shimako's hand and gently kissed it, her symbol to show that she will keep her promise._

_The next day, Yumi watched sadly as the plane left for Japan, carrying with it her most precious jewel. 'Till we meet again, my sweet angel'  
_

* * *

Yumi woke up from her dream because of the annoying sound of her alarm clock. It read 7:30 A.M. She turned it off abruptly, obviously annoyed for disturbing her dream about Shimako. Her sleepiness gone in an instant after remembering her apple of the eye. She went in her washroom and took a bath. After a few minutes, she went in her closet and chose a pair of shoes, jeans and a sweat shirt. She tied her hair in pigtails, took out the neatly-wrapped box she bought yesterday and went out of her house.

She opened her car door and gently placed the box at the passenger's seat. She started the engine and carefully drove off.

Yumi already knew where Shimako lives since the latter gave her address before she left. _I can't wait to see her. _She was really excited to finally be reunited with her first love. Before she continued with her destination, she parked her car in front of a flower shop.

She went in and browsed the whole place. After seeing her target, she walked towards that section of the shop. She was about to pick up the beautiful set of flowers when her hand touched another. The other hand was silky and smooth. It was perfect and beautiful. _Just like Shimako's_. She turned to face the other person and was quite pleased. The girl in front of her was quite an angel herself. She had perfectly-shaped eyebrows; beautiful, deep, blue eyes; glossy, red lips; an amazing stature; and silky, long, raven-colored hair.

"I'm sorry, will you take these?" Yumi asked

The girl could only nod, apparently not trusting her voice at the moment. Yumi nodded her head as well.

"I understand. You can have them then. I'll just order a new one." Yumi flashed her charming smile, bid her farewell and went to the counter. She ordered for a bouquet of white roses and left the store.

The girl still stood there, mesmerized of the beauty she just saw.

* * *

YEY! It's finally done ^^

By the way, the underlined italicized words are spoken in English ;)

Again, I thank you for following and spending your precious time in reading this story. Please review, send me comments, suggestions, violent reactions and PMs!

By the way, does anyone want to be my beta-reader? : ) Please?


	3. Chapter 3

**Guest:** I hope you enjoyed this chapter ^^ and thank you for the review!

**Renu:** I apologize if the chapters tend to be short, I'll try to make them longer next time hehe thank you for the review!

**Insomniac1970:** Thank you ^^ (for both the review and compliment)

** 24:** Uhmm, it is quite difficult to update everyday (more like impossible) hahaha :D thank you for the review by the way!

**AsulNaRosa:** Thank you for dropping by, although you have a busy schedule ^^

**Witchgar:** Was this alright? Hehe

**Elliehandesu:** Yeah! Shimako is pretty lucky! ;) hahaha thank you for the review!

Oh men, I suck at replying to reviews, don't I? Hahaha :D

By the way, i would like to thank my awesome beta-reader MIRACLES0079, if there are parts that are a little sweet, it's thanks to him ^^ (and yeah, it gave me Goosebumps as well) again, I thank you!

Well, here is another chapter of this story of mine. I hope you'll enjoy it!

**Chapter 3**

'_I'm sorry, will you take these?' _Those words kept repeating in her mind. She just couldn't get that beautiful, melodious voice out of her head. Actually, the voice was not the only thing that affected her; the charming smile and gorgeous face added more to her interest of the girl she just encountered earlier.

"Sachiko, are you alright?" Ogasawara Sayako stated worriedly as she noticed her only daughter spacing out and not eating the tasty-looking dish being served to her. _'It really is a rare sight seeing her like this. I wonder what happened at that flower shop earlier. She was also in this state when I came back from the car'_

Sachiko's musings were cut-off when she heard her mother's worried voice. "Of course, Mother. What makes you think otherwise?" she stated coolly.

Sayako obviously did not believe her daughter's response. She sighed deeply. _'I wish she would just tell me her true feelings'_. Upon seeing a completely blank expression on her daughter's face, she just came to the conclusion that Sachiko didn't want to talk about it and so she answered "Oh nothing, Dear. Just forget about it" she heaved another long audible sigh.

_Sachiko was reading a book when she suddenly heard a knock at her door._

"_Come in" she answered. The door opened and it revealed a complete replica of her. The woman had long-raven hair which was tied in a bun; long, slender arms, perfectly-proportioned body; and beautiful facial features. Indeed, she was exactly like her in many aspects except for the fact that the woman was older._

"_Sachiko, would you like to accompany me to the flower shop today?" Sayako asked her daughter who was busy reading a book._

_Sachiko closed the book she was reading and regarded her mother's words for a second. "Hmm, since the Yamayurikai meeting will be held at__three in the afternoon, I guess I could tag along; but why go to the flower shop, Mother?" she responded "Is there some special occasion that__I__am__unaware__of?" she added._

"_Not really" Sayako responded thoughtfully to the question "I just have a feeling something big is about to happen" noticing her daughter's puzzled expression, she smiled mischievously. "And besides, I would like to take this as an opportunity to thank your friends. They really had a huge impact on you. I'm just glad that you're finally starting to open up."_

_Sachiko was a little taken aback by her mother's words but quickly composed herself as she'd been__taught_; _as to be expected of a member of the prestigious Ogasawara family._ _She replied "If you wish it then I guess I have no choice"._

_Sachiko excused herself momentarily__to get changed. Little did the Ogasawara maidens know that something big really was about to happen._

_After a little while, Sachiko went downstairs. She wore a knee-length white dress with a red flower embroidered on the stylish fabric. She opted to wear flip flops instead of less comfortable footwear for the occasion and her hair was left down, as usual._

_Sayako, on the other hand, was fully dressed wearing a traditional yukata, which clung to her mature frame perfectly. As she heard her daughter's room door closed, she looked up and was amazed by her daughter's breathe__taking__appearance. 'Beautiful'. She smiled proudly and asked "Shall we go, dear?" Sachiko nodded her head in response. With that, the two of them climbed into the waiting sedan and drove off, with Sayako informing the driver of__their designated destination._

_As the ride proceeded onwards, the two ladies talked about various things. They enjoyed each other's company both thinking back on__how they dearly__missed these times; times wherein they had a wonderful time as a family. They shared some jokes and laughed heartily._

"_Sachiko, may I ask a question of you?" Sayako suddenly exclaimed. Sachiko, seeing the serious expression on her mother's face, responded with the same seriousness in her tone "Of course, Mother"_

"_But, I need you to be completely honest with me. Do you understand?"_

"_What's this all of a sudden, Mother? Did something happen?" Sachiko asked; worry, concern and curiosity clearly seen in her words and features._

"_Sachiko, do you understand me?" Sayako repeated, ignoring her daughter's 'exasperated' questions._

"_Of course, I will answer truthfully, as you wish" Sachiko responded, the uneasiness that something bad might be happening without her knowing never leaving her mind._

"_Sachiko, tell me how do you really feel about your engagement with Suguru-san?" Sayako tentatively asked. She quickly felt the change in her daughter's demeanor._

'_Oh, so this is about Suguru-san' Sachiko thought dimly. Kashiwagi Suguru is her fiancé. He is also her cousin and was her first love. She loved him wholeheartedly when she was younger. She even told herself that she wanted to marry him one day. So, when she knew of her engagement to him at the tender age of ten, she couldn't wait to get older. It was when she entered her first year in high school that her heart was shattered; the time when he confessed to her that he could only ever be sexually attracted to other men. That unexpected confession shook her to the core. It was at that time as well that she learned of her father and grandfather having mistresses. These traumatizing events would eventually culminate towards her newfound hatred towards all men present in her life._

_Sachiko's mood suddenly changed after hearing that name. She was about to respond when the car stopped, indicating their arrival. The driver opened Sachiko's side of the car._

"_We have arrived, Ma'am" he informed the patiently awaiting pair._

_Sachiko quietly went out of the car with her mother following suit. They politely__thanked him and walked to the entrance of the store. _

_As they entered the store, they were immediately__mesmerized by the beauty of the flowers found in the shop. Daises, Hydrangeas, Bellflowers, Hyacinths and many more could be found whether by bunch or single stalks. The two ladies looked around, still amazed by the beauty of each flower present._

"_Sachiko, why don't you choose? I'm sure your friends will appreciate it if you gave them the flowers of your choice" Sayako suggested to her daughter in what she hoped to be a pleading tone._

"_Very well then" came Sachiko's reply. She looked around, giving each and every flower an equal amount of attention. 'They really are beautiful' she thought._

_After a few minutes of searching, something caught her attention in a far corner of the shop. It was a bouquet of red, white and yellow roses. 'It's perfect!' she thought excitedly as these flowers each represented their titles in the Yamayurikai. She was about to acquire__them when her hand touched soft, silky, white skin. She looked up and her sapphire eyes met with beautiful, brown ones. She was captivated by her reflection in those brown eyes. And as she looked to see who the owner of those eyes were; she was instantly left speechless._

_The girl had such an angelic face that she couldn't stop her heart from beating rapidly. 'She's so beautiful. Is this really happening to me?' she mused to herself. She wanted to speak but it seemed as if her voice had other ideas. Afraid of embarrassing herself further, she decided to not utter a single sound._

"_I'm sorry, will you take these?" she heard her captivating angel say.'Mine? Since when did this beautiful girl become mine?' Although she thought it was absurd to claim a person as__hers, she couldn't help but feel happy__at the possessive thought. 'Oh how I wish it would be true'. Sachiko, currently struggling to find her voice, nodded in response to the girl's question._

"_I understand. You can have them then. I'll just order a new one" the girl responded thoughtfully. Sachiko watched as her angel walked towards the counter, ordered a bouquet of roses and smiled a disarming smile to the clerk._

'_I wonder who she will be giving those to' Sachiko thought sadly, picturing her angel showing affection to another person. She saw the charming smile the girl gave to the clerk and couldn't help but feel extremely jealous and empty. 'I could learn to love again if I saw that smile being flashed in my direction.'_

_Busy with her thoughts, Sachiko wasn't able to feel the presence of another person behind her. After a minute or two, she saw a pair of worried, blue eyes and hands waving in front of her._

"_Sachiko? Are you alright?" Sayako asked as she watched her daughter planted to the spot while staring dreamily at the now closed door._

_Sachiko's thoughts were interrupted as she finally dawned back to reality. "Yes, Mother. I'm perfectly fine. I have chosen already. Shall we pay for these, then?" she asked politely while carefully picking up the beautiful set of roses._

_As much as she wants to know, Sayako readily agreed to her daughter's wishes. They paid the exact amount and left for lunch._

"Mother, are you alright? You've been sighing a lot these last few minutes" Sachiko asked as another long sigh escaped from her mother's lips.

"Please don't mind me, Sachiko. Now, about those flowers…" Sayako said, purposely cutting her sentence halfway to observe the reaction from her daughter.

Sachiko, upon hearing the word 'flowers' turned beet red, her heart thumping loudly as she suddenly remembered the beautiful maiden. "Wh-what about the flowers, Mother?" she berated herself inwardly for stuttering at such a simple question. Sayako, on the other hand, was enjoying the way Sachiko was acting. She may not fully understand the reasons why but she just loves how cute Sachiko looks when she became flustered.

"Are you sure nothing happened while you were at that corner?" Sayako asked with teasing eyes. Sachiko, with all her might, answered back without wavering, despite the look her mother was giving her "Why would you say something went wrong, Mother? As you can see, I was just mesmerized by the beauty of the roses"

"Was it the roses or a certain brunette angel you encountered?" she asked with a hint of mischief in her voice and eyes.

Sachiko's eyes widened in shock, all those years of training gone in an instant as realization hit her. While she was busy dreamily looking at the girl, her mother saw everything; her inability to utter a single sound and had thus made a fool out of herself in the process. And now, here she is, being teased to death for her lack of attention to her surroundings.

While Sachiko was busy being embarrassed, Sayako couldn't help herself from giggling. That's right. She was able to witness everything from a distance.

_After suggesting to her daughter about choosing some flowers for her friends, Sayako saw Sachiko wandering about the shop, taking careful consideration in her choice of flowers. She, too, decided to wander about. She soon realized that not only did this flower shop have a lot of beautiful flowers; it also showed that each flower was freshly picked. She made a mental note to herself that any time she needed flowers; she would acquire them from this beautiful shop._

_After a few minutes of looking here and there, she couldn't help but wonder where her daughter had gone to. 'What's taking her so long? But then again, I wouldn't blame her for being confused which one to choose' She searched her surroundings and her eyes saw a glimpse of blue hair, just like hers. 'Oh, there she is.' _

_She walked in the direction of__where she believed her daughter was and was about to call out to Sachiko as she approached; but stopped when she saw her, standing frozen__like a statue in front of an undeniably cute girl, looking like a complete__lunatic._

_She heard the girl ask Sachiko if she was about to take these. Sachiko merely nodded her head in__response. 'I guess she's star struck by the cuteness of that girl' she thought amusedly. Never in her entire life had Sayako seen Sachiko become visibly speechless and equally awestruck. 'I wonder if she'll be mad if I tease her later' she thought again evilly._

_She saw the girl nod her head and say__something to Sachiko that she didn't quite understand. After awhile, the girl went to the counter. Apparently, she ordered some flowers and left after a few minutes. She waited for a little while before slowly walking up to Sachiko._

'_Wow that girl really did leave a lasting impression on my little Sa-chan' she thought as her daughter didn't even notice her presence. She waved her hands in front of Sachiko and after awhile, she saw Sachiko returning to the present._

She giggled a bit loudly this time as she wasn't able to hold back her laughter anymore. She saw her daughter throw icy glares at her, but she didn't mind at all. Not when Sachiko looked so adorable falling in love with a complete stranger.

"So? What is her name?" she suddenly asked.

'_Her name? Oh that's right; I wasn't able to ask for her name' _

Upon hearing no response, Sayako heaved another dramatic sigh and said "You don't know her name, do you? That's such a shame; I would love to invite her for some tea"

At this comment, Sachiko's eyes turned to slits. She really hated to lose but there wasn't anything she could do about it. She just has to wait until her mother was finished with her teasing, which could take a while.

After a little while, Sayako stopped giggling "I'm sorry, dear. It's just rare to see you that way. I'm sorry, will you forgive me?" she sincerely said.

Sachiko just sighed. She just couldn't stay mad at her mother for too long and so she decided to forgive her for her slightly over enthusiastic teasing.

Sayako smiled and called the attention of one of the waiters to pay for their bill. After paying, the two women proceeded towards their nearby car.

As they approached the car, Sachiko suddenly stopped in her tracks. Sayako, noticing the absence of Sachiko's presence, stopped as well and looked at her quizzically. She observed Sachiko staring at two unknown figures exiting out of a red sports car. She followed her daughter's line of sight and smirked after seeing the figure who had caught Sachiko's attention in the blink of an eye.

She saw the little, cute angel they encountered earlier in the flower shop. The strange thing was, this time, she wasn't alone. She had a companion who closely resembled a Western doll. As far as she was concerned, they looked perfect for each other. _'Interesting'_ she thought. She looked at Sachiko who just stood there, her mouth a little open maybe due to shock or perhaps even disillusionment. _'I wonder how she is taking this.'_

'_Who is she with?' _Sachiko's mind screamed. She could feel her heart ache. It was the first time in years she felt this way. _'Is this what__jealousy feels__like?' _She saw her angel escorting the other girl out of her car. She reached out for the girl and held her hands gently before proceeding into the restaurant they had recently left. That was the last straw for her. She walked straight back, into the restaurant, and settled herself at a nearby table to where her crush currently sat.

Sayako sighed as she watched her daughter enter the restaurant again; but inwardly, she was enjoying this new and unexpected development. She instructed their driver to fetch each and every member of the Yamayurikai and bring them to the restaurant so that their meeting could begin. _'This is going to be interesting indeed.'_She followed Sachiko inside and seated herself opposite her daughter.

Yumi was driving down the road as she remembered her encounter with a certain raven-haired maiden. _'She really is beautiful. She somewhat resembles Shimako's elegance. Japanese women really amaze me.'_ She smiled upon remembering her own angel; but then again, every time she remembers Shimako, she always smiles. She held the box located at her side and imagined what Shimako's reaction would be. She imagined her completely shocked and speechless expression. She quickened her pace a little at the thought of finally being reunited with her love.

Shimako was busy cleaning the yard when she heard the doorbell ring.

"Just a minute" she responded. She quickly put the broom away and fixed her slightly dishevelled appearance. She hurriedly went to the gate and put the speaker on.

"Hello, may I know who you are looking for?"

"Um…Does Todou Shimako live here?" the voice responded.

'_Wait…This voice sounds awfully familiar'_ she mused. _'I just can't figure out who the owner is' _She felt her heart thumping loudly. _'That's strange. This is like the time I met...'_ Her eyes widened as reality finally hit her.

"Hello? Are you still there?" the voice spoke again.

"…"

"Hello?" the voice on the other end obviously had a worried tone. "I'm sorry. I guess I had the wrong address. Please excuse me."

Yumi was about to walk away when the gate abruptly opened. She turned around and was caught off guard by the sudden attack.

Shimako opened the gate doors hurriedly and saw the girl of her dreams slowly walking away. In a moment of panic, she ran towards her and caught Yumi in a death hug.

"Shi-Shimako?" Yumi stuttered. She was as red as a tomato when she caught Shimako in her arms. She felt Shimako's shoulders moving. Apparently, Shimako was crying.

Yumi smiled tenderly to the crying girl in her arms. Cupping her chin tenderly, Yumi turned Shimako's face towards her, so as to look her in the eyes. "Surprise! How are you, my dear Shimako?"

Yumi wiped the tears away and hugged her tightly. _'Oh how I missed this'_

Shimako happily hugged Yumi back in an almost possessive manner. "You're so sly. Why didn't you tell me you were coming? I could have prepared something for you."

"Does it matter?" Yumi giggled upon seeing Shimako's pout. "Anyway, are you free today?"

Upon seeing the questioning gaze of the girl she smiled and said "May I take my princess out for a little date?"

Shimako blushed and replied "Of course. Can you wait for a little while?"

"I could wait forever if it meant seeing you again" Yumi said.

With that, Shimako turned completely red and playfully smacked Yumi on the shoulder, before quickly going inside her house to get changed into more appropriate clothing.

In her room, Shimako was frantically searching for something to wear.

"What should I do? I don't know which one to wear" She paced back and forth beside her bed. _'This won't get me anywhere. I need to relax'_

She forced herself to relax just a little and remembered Yumi. _'I guess this is the result of not seeing her for a long time. Oh God! She's so dashing today!'_she didn't notice the silly grin adorning her face right now.

"What should I do?" She searched her belongings again and remembered Yumi said that she would always look beautiful with whatever on. _'Maybe I can just wear nothing?'_ She blushed at that thought and shook her head, trying to get the nasty thought out of her mind. _'I wonder how Yumi will react though.'_ She chased the thought away again and focused on the problem at hand. She looked at the clock and realized she has been in her room for ten minutes now.

"_I could wait forever if it meant seeing you again"_ she heard Yumi's voice ringing in her mind. She smiled and finally chose to wear the dress she had on the day they met. She quickly put it on and went downstairs. She locked the gates of her house and walked towards the open car door with Yumi at its side, waiting for her to enter.

The ride was enjoyable for Shimako. Yumi gave her a marvelous dress and a dazzling necklace with a heart as its pendant. They stopped in front of a restaurant and she watched as Yumi exited the car door and walked towards her side. Yumi opened the car door for her and reached out her arm. Shimako took the offering and they held hands towards the restaurant.

As they passed by, Shimako thought she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure with sapphire eyes standing like a statue by a nearby sedan.

Yumi led her to a reserved table and gestured for Shimako to sit first. She was like a true gentleman. Yumi called for the waiter who took their order. She was dazzled by Yumi's grace. She sat there motionless and was brought back to reality when she felt warm hands on her own.

After the waiter left, Yumi looked at Shimako and smiled charmingly. She got no response and so she was worried. She held her angel's hands, hoping that this small act would bring Shimako back to reality. Thankfully, it did and so she began conversing with her about various things.

Sachiko saw everything. How her beloved assisted the stranger to her seat and how she held the girl's hands tenderly when the other was busy staring out at oblivion. She felt her anger welling up and she totally forgot about the meeting she had to attend with the Yamayurikai. She felt her teeth gritting and her hands were pale due to the force she was applying to them.

'_That girl. She looks awfully familiar'_ Sachiko thought when she caught a glimpse of the girl's features when she was about to sit down. _'I swear I have seen her somewhere'_She racked her memories. During her childhood years and her schooldays in middle school. _'Middle school! That's it!'_ Sachiko suddenly remembered seeing that girl in Lillian. She just couldn't quite remember her name. She silently swore to herself that she would find out who that girl is and her relation to her angel.

At the other side of the table, which Sachiko was obviously oblivious to; Sayako was quite pleased with the things she was witnessing. _'Hohoho, things are turning out to be really interesting. Oh__, __and here comes some more action'_ She thought as she saw their car parking at the side of the restaurant.

Five lovely young ladies exited from the car and entered the restaurant. Each one of them greeted her and sat down. They noticed Sachiko not greeting them back and looked at her puzzlingly. They saw Sachiko busy looking at a cute couple on the other side. They turned their attention towards the couple and they thought simultaneously _'Interesting.'_

One of the girls coughed in an attempt to receive Sachiko's attention.When Sachiko turned around, she was surprised, to say the least, at the sight that welcomed her. There, sitting with them, were the members of the Yamayurikai and her friends. The current Rosa Chinensis, Mizuno Youko, her Onee-sama; the current Rosa Gigantea, Satou Sei; the current Rosa Foetida, Torii Eriko; the Rosa Foetida en bouton, Hasekura Rei and incidentally her closest friend; and lastly, Rei's petite seour and cousin, Shimazu Yoshino.

"No wonder we were called out here by Sayako-Oba-sama" Sei teased which earned her a death glare from Sachiko.

Youko coughed to get everyone's attention and said "Indeed" which earned another fit of giggles from the girls. She continued, ignoring the look Sachiko was giving her, "Shall we begin the meeting, Sachiko?"

Sachiko sighed and nodded her head. The meeting went on but Sachiko's attention was mainly given to the two girls who were sharing a yummy meal together. The members of the Yamayurikai, together with Sayako, gave each other amused glances for seeing Sachiko act this way for the very first time.

And there you have it ^^

So uhh, how was it? Suggestions, comments, reviews, violent reactions and PMs are very much welcome!

Thank you, and have a nice day!


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you for the awesome reviews! :D And my very talented beta-reader **Miracles79** , THANK YOU!

Here is another chapter of my story, hope you'll enjoy it!

And by the way, i forgot to mention this from my other chapters but i don't own Maria-sama ga Miteru

* * *

Chapter 4

* * *

_She felt her cheeks burning up as the gaze of the beautiful girl on top of her held so much love, longing and desire for someone so unworthy of such affection. Every time she sees herself in those big, honest, mocha orbs, she can't help but feel both secure and utterly loved. It always amazed her how this angel of hers could have such an effect on her cold and secluded heart._

_She saw her angel's lips move but couldn't fully comprehend what she was saying. She gave her full attention to those red, luscious lips that are so tempting to kiss, form beautiful words which felt like blissful music to her ears._

_Her eyes suddenly widened both from shock and happiness, as her mind finally processed the meaning of the words spoken to her._

'_I love you' was what she said._

_Her angel, the beautiful and graceful angel of hers had said the words that could make her the happiest woman alive. She was about to respond to her angel's sweet confession and disclose the feelings of love that she had hidden for so, so long when those luscious lips captured her own in a full eager kiss. The kisses were clumsy, soft and tender at first but as passion took over they became powerful, hungry and breathtakingly intense._

_She felt something wet and warm grind against her bottom lip and she directly understood what her angel wanted. She parted her lips, her angel's tongue sliding effortlessly between her now parted lips as she granted the intruding tongue further access inside of her. Their tongues danced in some sort of delectable rhythm that only the two of them could fully comprehend. She allowed herself to be consumed by the hungry desire that her beloved was showing as she too returned her angel's kisses with the same heart-pounding intensity. Her hands found themselves gently playing with the brunette's hair as her beloved was teasingly caressing and kneading her back, causing her to arch to the touch that sent shivers down her spine. _

_They were both at the tip of their arousal when her beloved reluctantly parted from the kiss, the need for oxygen becoming too much for her overwhelming desire. _

_Her angel was breathless, just as she was. She looked so beautiful and seductive with her slightly dishevelled hair. On instinct, she kissed those inviting lips once more. This time, though, both of them became bolder as their hands freely and greedily roamed each other's bodies. She felt her beloved stop on her chest and caress it tenderly, causing her to emit a sexy and arousing moan from her quivering lips. _

_Her partner's hands trailed over every part of her body. Her light touches sending a pleasant feeling through to the very center of her being. She broke the kiss as she felt her angel's hands stop their movement. She looked at her beloved quizzically. And as she saw hesitance reflected in those orbs she fell in love with, she flashed her a reassuring smile. She embraced her angel tightly and whispered into her ear. "It's alright. I made my decision a long time ago, for so long I wanted to be worthy of you… I want to become yours, and you mine. So please, don't worry about it"_

_She parted from the comforting embrace and was about to continue the kiss when an annoying sound suddenly broke out in the silence._

_She became anxious of her surroundings. Bright light could be seen outside of her window and the sound of spinning rotor blades could be heard overhead._

_The large glass window, leading to the balcony, of her room suddenly flung open._

"_Nobody move! This is the police! Get up and put your hands in the air! I repeat! Put your hands in the air!" someone cried out rather aggressively. _

_And…__**BOOM**__!_

* * *

Sachiko's eyes quickly shot open when she heard the beeping of her alarm clock and the sound of machine guns coming from it. She rested a hand on the annoyingly loud clock from her night stand and was about to throw it away when she quickly halted her actions. _'It is not proper for a lady to throw her things just because it __**disturbed**__ her from a wonderful sleep'_ she calmly reminded herself.

Ogasawara Sachiko is not a morning person. She hates it when someone would disturb her from slumber that's why most of the servants in their household were too afraid to wake the heiress up, for there is a 99.9% chance of getting severely scolded.

She was about to return to her dreamland when she suddenly remembered the date. She abruptly sat up from the corner of her large bed and let an unladylike grunt escape from her lips. She felt frustrated upon remembering that she had to arrive early for the first day of the semester in school. She sighed, aware of the fact that she could only ever be fortunate enough to see her angel in her dreams.

She was having such a nice dream about her angel too. '_Wait. Did I just say it was a nice dream?'_ she found her hands bathed in sweat and her face as red as a ripe tomato upon remembering her comment about her dream and the dream itself. _'Well, I guess it was a nice dream. It was just expressed in an erotic way'_ she reasoned out to herself. But, she quickly reprimanded herself that it was improper of a lady to think of such things and so she stood up from her bed and went to the washroom, after fixing the loose sheets of her bed.

As she entered the washroom, she turned on the faucet to get her bath ready. She then removed her night gown and every piece of clothing from her body. She rinsed herself a little and then waited patiently for the tub to be filled before climbing in and soaking her entire body.

She placed some soap in the water, causing her naked form to become far more slippery. Some bubbles reached her lips and so she washed them off. She touched her lips in a dreamy state. She remembered how the lips of her angel tasted; how they had been passionately kissing each other; and how eager they were to touch each other's exposed skin and so much more. She slid down into the cold water, hoping to hide the blush that was forming in her cheeks, although no one was there to witness it. She couldn't help but blush upon remembering that they were about to…

There was a knock on her door. The sudden sound immediately brought Sachiko back out of her reverie.

"Sachiko, are you in the bathroom, honey?" came Sayako's voice from the other side.

"Yes, Mother. I'll be out in a moment" replied Sachiko to her endearing mother.

She got out of the tub and quickly dried herself with her towel. She wrapped herself in her robe and composed herself before opening the door.

Once entering her bedroom, she was met by a worried-looking Sayako.

"What's wrong, Mother? What happened? Did you lose something?" Sachiko asked after carefully considering the troubled look in her mother's eyes.

"Oh, Sachiko. So you were just in the bathroom all this time?" Sayako asked a bit relieved.

Sachiko nodded her head in response to her mother's question. She was becoming confused. She just couldn't understand why her mother would be frantically searching for something so early in the morning.

Sayako, upon seeing Sachiko's perplexed expression, sighed and said "I've been looking for you everywhere. When I entered here earlier, I didn't see any sign of you so I searched the whole house."

Sachiko nodded, signalling for her mother to continue.

"When there was still no sign of you, I went back here in your room. That's when an idea suddenly popped into my mind that maybe you were just taking a bath so I knocked on your bathroom door. I waited but I received no response so I knocked again. I must have knocked on your door about eight times before you finally spoke to me" Sayako finished, waving her hand in the process in an exasperated manner.

"What were you doing in there? It's not like you to just fall asleep while taking a bath. Did something happen to you in there, dear?" she asked, her eyes reflecting worry and concern for the possibility that her only daughter may have been hurt.

Sachiko suddenly turned beet red. _'How am I supposed to explain to her that I was having naughty thoughts about my crush?'_ As that thought came to mind, her face became redder, if that was even possible.

Sayako became confused upon seeing the tomato-colored face of her daughter. After awhile, her eyes began to gleam with mischief once more. She smirked and asked "Oh? Don't tell me you were having naughty thoughts about your cute, little angel?"

Sachiko couldn't believe her ears. _'How did she?!'_ her mind screamed. She was so embarrassed right now that she just hung her head in shame.

When she heard no response and saw Sachiko lowering her head, she knew she hit the spot. She laughed wholeheartedly and received a dangerous glare from Sachiko.

When she heard her mother laughing, she immediately knew she was being teased. _'I can't believe her!'_ She sighed and waited patiently for her mother to stop with her teasing. But nonetheless, it still didn't change the fact that her mother had managed to read her emotions at such an inopportune time.

She was enjoying her daughter's cute and new expressions; and as much as she would have loved to continue harassing her daughter with embarrassing questions, she didn't want Sachiko to rush to school with an empty stomach. She instructed her to get changed and come downstairs for breakfast. Sachiko readily followed her mother's instructions and after a few minutes, joined her down the dining hall for some breakfast.

* * *

As she arrived, she was surprised to see her father and grandfather with them. "Good morning, Father, Grandfather." She greeted in a respectable manner.

The Ogasawara men acknowledged her greeting and smiled to their beloved daughter/ granddaughter.

"Good morning to you too, Sachiko" Ogasawara Tooru replied with a smile plastered upon his lips.

"Good morning to you too, my dear Sachiko. Please, have a seat" Ogasawara Endo said while gesturing for his beloved granddaughter to sit with them and eat.

Sachiko happily complied and bowed her head before fully sitting down. After a while, servants came out from the kitchen and served them their food.

The Ogasawara family was having a great time together. They shared some stories and some jokes. The often lonely walls of the hall were finally filled with the sounds of joyous laughter. A moment dearly missed by each member of the family.

"I'm sorry. But I need to get moving or I'll be late for school" Sachiko exclaimed sadly. The group nodded their heads in understanding and wished her a safe trip.

Sachiko stood from her seat and bid her goodbyes. She exited and walked towards the open car door of the black sedan that was held by her personal driver, Matsui who was waiting patiently for her.

The drive towards her school, Lillian Girl's Academy, was a brief one. She stepped out from the car as soon as Matsui opened the door for her. She briefly thanked him before slowly walking towards the entrance of the school.

* * *

Fukuzawa Yumi woke up early. She was extremely excited and at the same time nervous by the thought of attending her new high school. She couldn't wait to see Shimako in her lovely school uniform. _'I bet she'll look marvellous'_. She quickly made her way downstairs and halted in her steps when she saw something familiar.

As she entered her kitchenette, she saw her one and only younger brother, Fukuzawa Yuki, sitting across from her grinning like a lunatic. Her eyes widened in surprise and opened her mouth to speak; but unfortunately, no coherent sentences could be formed. Yuki tried to suppress his laughter but failed terribly.

* * *

Fukuzawa Yuki was debating with himself whether he should enter his sister's house or not. He reminisced about the conversation they'd had with his family just a mere day ago.

* * *

_Yuki was busy reading the reports his assistant handed him when he heard a knock at the door._

"_Come in"_

_The door opened and it revealed his parents, Fukuzawa Miki and Fukuzawa Yuuchiro._

_He stopped with what he was doing and regarded his parents for a second. He saw the sad look in their eyes and he felt like his heart was being torn into a million pieces at the unsettling sight._

"_Oh? Mother, Father, what can I do for you today?" he asked, unaware of the misfortune that was about to be bestowed upon him._

"_Yuki, it's kind of lonely in here, isn't it?" Miki asked._

"_Uh? Of course, Mother. It will always be lonely while Yumi is not here with us" Yuki responded thoughtfully._

"_You really care for your sister, don't you? Yuki?" this time, it was Yuuchiro who asked._

"_Definitely, Father. I'm worried though, I wonder how she'll handle everything by herself. I mean, I know she's excellent in everything she does, even karate, but still, it doesn't change the fact that she's a girl and an heiress to one of the richest companies. I'm worried about her safety" stated Yuki, falling for the trap his parents had been setting._

_Upon hearing their son's reply, the Fukuzawa couple smiled mischievously. "Oh! I'm so glad you feel the same way, Yuki!" Miki stated which made Yuki look at her quizzically. "And since we already know that you feel so worried for your sister, we took it as our duty of enrolling you in Hanadera Boys Academy, the sister school of Lillian. Please do take good care of her for us. After all, she is our precious company's heiress" she finished with a victory grin._

_Yuki's eyes went impossibly big. 'Wait! What?!' He couldn't believe his ears. Did his parents just say he was going to attend school? 'But what about the company? Who in the world would help dad manage it?' He was about to voice his concerns when Yuuchiro cut him off._

"_Oh, don't worry about that son. We can manage by ourselves" he stated with confidence._

_Yuki was about to protest but as soon as he saw the pleading eyes of his parents, his resolve quickly vanished._

"_Very well then" he replied with a defeated sigh._

* * *

He sighed once again before entering the front doors of his sister's house and waited patiently for his sister to come down.

As Yumi's eyes made contact with his, Yuki grinned upon seeing the cute reaction of his sister. He noticed that Yumi was trying to formulate sentences after the shock of seeing her brother sitting across from her in the room. He couldn't help but chuckle at the faces he was seeing.

Yumi heard giggles; and she was fully aware that they were coming from her brother. She gave him a stern glare.

Yuki noticed the glare and the message behind it. He opened his mouth and spoke "Mom and Dad are worried about your safety…" Yumi was about to respond but he didn't let her. He placed his open hand in front of him to silence his sister's uproar and continued "They are. No. We are all aware of your ability to defend yourself but it is still too dangerous. No matter how you look at it, it is dangerous for a girl to live alone. That is why I was sent here"

"But what about the company?" Yumi asked calmly as she was finally able to recover from the initial shock of such an unexpected visit.

"Yes, about that. Father said they can manage well by themselves" Yuki stated "Don't worry; I'm sure they can handle it. Now, shall we get ready for school?" he asked with a hint of amusement in his words.

And again, Yumi was left speechless for the second time as a most peculiar thought invaded her mind. Yuki, noticing his sister's horrified look, quickly saved himself from further embarrassment.

"No. I didn't mean it that way. I am going to attend Hanadera Academy for boys, the one on the opposite hill to your school. Don't worry, I promise I won't disturb you in any activity you prefer to do. Especially the ones that involve a certain blonde beauty" he said, a smirk adorning his handsome features.

Yumi couldn't help but blush at her brother's statement. She quickly turned her head away, hoping to hide her adorable blush from her teasing brother. She told him to make some breakfast and made her way to the washroom. After a few minutes, the siblings were off to school.

* * *

"Gokigenyou"

"Gokigenyou, Rosa Chinensis en bouton"

"Gokigenyou, Sachiko-sama"

Greetings were uttered here and there. Sachiko responded to each one of them with a simple nodding of her head, performed with both grace and elegance. She is part of the school's student council, the Yamayurikai. Her Onee-sama, Mizuno Youko, is the current Rosa Chinensis; and so, she is the current Rosa Chinensis en bouton, the one adored by all.

Sachiko kept her back straight and continued to greet every student who wished her a good day. After walking down the pathway, she reached the statue of the Virgin Mary. She clasped her hands together and bowed her head deep in prayer.

'_Good day to you, Maria-sama. I hope I will have a memorable first day today and please watch over my beloved angel. May you be with her always, wherever she is right now' _she sighed upon remembering the fact that she can only see her beloved in her dreams. She didn't even know her name and neither did her angel know of hers. _'Please, give me the chance to see and know her better' _she pleaded with all her heart. She then opened her eyes and slowly turned to reach her destination, the Rose Mansion.

After her prayer, her mind immediately drifted off to a certain brunette angel. She wondered where she was at the moment, whatever she was doing and many more. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. How was she to know of the girl's name if they wouldn't be able to see each other? She considered herself lucky for meeting the apple of her eye twice that fateful day. She also didn't miss the fact that her angel was seemingly in a relationship with another girl. _'That's right. I have to find out who the heck that girl is and what sort of relationship they have'_ she fumed with jealousy at the thought of the blonde girl being her angel's girlfriend.

Sachiko was so busy with her thoughts that she failed to notice the small formation of rocks in her way. And as she walked by, her foot collided on one of its edges.

Gasps could be heard as Lillian students saw that their idolized Rosa Chinensis en bouton was about to hit the ground.

Sachiko was fully aware that she was about to hit the ground. She closed her eyes tight waiting for the dreaded impact. It seems that time was slowing down and so she braced herself for what she believed would be a painful collision. A few moments later, she didn't feel any pain at all. _'Wait? What happened?' _She slowly opened her eyes and was in for a shock at the sight that greeted her.

* * *

"Yuki, I guess we should split here. Have a nice day!" Yumi stated cheerfully while slowly walking her way up to her school.

"Ok sis. Be careful as well!" he responded and began walking towards his own destination.

As Yumi entered the magnificent gates of Lillian, she was greeted with smiles and "Gokigenyou" everywhere. _'I guess this school loves to keep their tradition' _she inwardly smiled to herself and in turn smiled to the students who greeted her. She couldn't help but wonder if they were alright after seeing a red hue on their cheeks. _'I hope the sun won't get to them that much. It would be a shame if they collapsed on their first day of school.'_

Up ahead, Yumi could see a strangely familiar figure silently praying to the glorious statue of the Virgin Mary. The girl had beautiful raven hair. _'I wonder. Haven't I seen her before?'_ Curiosity getting the better of her, she altered her direction and walked towards the girl in question. _'I swear, I've met her somewhere before'_

As she reached the statue, she offered her prayers and looked towards the direction where she had previously seen the familiar girl. She noticed that the girl had already finished with her prayers and was currently heading off somewhere. She had a dazed look on her face so Yumi couldn't help but feel concerned for her. She followed the maiden quietly, noticing the increasing stares the other students were giving to the one in front of her and immediately realized that if the girl wasn't able to get out of her thoughts anytime soon, then she would surely trip. And as if she predicted the future, the girl's foot collided with one of the edges of the pile of stones.

Yumi, with her quick reflexes, immediately came to the girl's rescue. She held her open palms with her own and supported their bodies with her weight to avoid losing balance. Yumi waited patiently for the girl before her to open her eyes; and as she did, she couldn't help but feel lost in those beautiful cerulean orbs that reflected her image.

* * *

As Sachiko opened her eyes, she saw that the angel of her dreams had come to her rescue. _'Wait! Is this really happening?! Maria-sama, anyone! Please pinch me!'_ her mind screamed in disbelief while her heart dearly hoped that it was in fact real.

"Are you alright?" Yumi asked, concern written all over her features.

Sachiko blinked, if not once, twice. She couldn't believe it. Her prayers were heard. _'Oh, Maria-sama! Thank you!'_ her heart soared with happiness. As she saw their hands, a beautiful shade of red hue adorned her usually porcelain cheeks.

"Are you alright?" Yumi reiterated when she heard no reply from the girl. Her worry doubled upon concluding that the beautiful maiden in her hands might have hurt herself.

"Y-Yes. I'm alright, thank you for your help" Sachiko finally answered.

After hearing her response, Yumi felt a little relieved. "Are you sure?" she asked for reassurance. As she saw the girl's nod, Yumi slowly let go of her hands and helped her regain her balance.

"May I know what could have made a beautiful maiden such as you, be so distracted while walking?" Yumi asked.

Sachiko blushed at the compliment. _'She called me beautiful!' _She was so happy, she could die right now. _'Actually, I was thinking of you' _Oh how she would have loved to say that, but she prevented herself to do so instead she said "A girl has some troubles sometimes, right?" she smiled playfully.

Yumi nodded in agreement. "Not only are you beautiful, but smart as well" she complimented, causing Sachiko to turn redder. "Are you a senpai here-?" she continued, purposely trailing off.

"Yes. Yes, I am. Sachiko. Ogasawara Sachiko. And you are?"

"Yumi. Fukuzawa Yumi. It is a pleasure to meet you, Sachiko-sama" she answered back with a charming smile on her angelic face.

'_Yumi. Finally! Maria-sama, I couldn't thank you enough'_ her heart screamed in jubilation. Sachiko couldn't help but smile as well finally able to know her angel's name.

Both of them became oblivious to the happy and contented glances that they shared with one another. The witnesses all thought they would make a splendid pair. But, not all people shared such a sentiment. There was one person in the crowd that stared bitterly towards Sachiko as she watched the scene unfold before her very eyes.

* * *

After parting ways with Yumi, Sachiko was pretty much skipping as she made her way up the stairs of the Rose Mansion. She was in heaven right now. Not only did she finally know her name, but their hands had held each other as well. When that memory came to mind, Sachiko halted at the foot of the biscuit door. She looked at her hand and swore to herself that she would never wash that hand of hers again. She quickly replaced her happy expression with her usual stoic features as to avoid being teased by her friends, especially Satou Sei-sama.

She opened the door and entered, walking briskly towards her unoccupied chair. She greeted them before halting midway upon sitting down when she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure. She regarded the girl serving her friends some tea and looked at her Onee-sama quizzically. Youko, sensing her Petite Seour's curiosity, instructed Sei to introduce the girl.

"Ah that's right. Sachiko, this is Todou Shimako, my petite seour" Sei said nonchalantly, resting her hand on Shimako's shoulder in emphasis.

Shimako bowed her head towards Sachiko and calmly greeted the latter "Gokigenyou."

As she looked up, she gave Sachiko a smug, challenging smile which went unnoticed by all except the now seething Ogasawara Sachiko.


	5. Chapter 5

**FS9:** I'm not that good :D hahaha, thank you for the compliment and the review by the way! Also for taking your time in reading this story ^^ very much appreciated, my friend!

**Renu:** Uhhhh hahaha I honestly don't know how to respond to that one but THANK YOU! :D

**Rika23:** Hmm... It depends... I don't know myself hehe ^^ Maybe, I'll put on a poll and see which of these two lovely ladies will win ;) Thank you for the review!

**Witchgar: **Thank you for your suggestion! :D and your review!

**Elliehandesu: **I guess the angels will have to fight? o.O Is that the right word? Haha :D Thank you for the review!

**SweetestSuicide:** I never knew as well haha ;) Thank you for the review and the reminder! Hahaha!

**Nyaaaaaaah:** I hope that this chapter is to your liking as well?

**Claine24: **Here's the new chapter! Hahaha! I had some free time so I was able to upload it and.. I don't hate you guys at all! ;) Tests... hahaha, thank you for the review!

**A/N**

Hmmm... About the little side notes during the previous chapter, uhh I apologize for that! Well, I can explain... Those little side notes were not meant to be there... Those were comments from my awesome beta-reader, who by the way is **Miracles79**. I totally forgot to erase them. I was running late for school when I uploaded the chapter, so yeahh... :D I sincerely ask for your apology if ever you were distracted by them. And, I apologize for the delay ^^

Anyways, I do not own Maria-sama Ga Miteru.. All credits belong to Ms. Oyuki Konno. And so, here is another chapter. I do hope you'll enjoy this ^^

* * *

**Chapter 5**

* * *

Walking casually with her camera brought up to her face, Takeshima Tsutako mindlessly focused the lenses to her surroundings. _'What am I going to do?'_ Her brows furrowed as she was busy thinking of a suitable subject to grace her photo entry for the school's upcoming Culture Festival. _'There's just no interesting subject around here…' _Just then, she caught a glimpse of the ever famous and much adored Ogasawara Sachiko. _'Then again…'_ she smiled mischievously to herself.

She silently followed Sachiko as she hid herself behind a tree, watching keenly as her target clasped her hands in prayer while the Blessed Virgin Mary gazed down in acknowledgement. She took a few snapshots of the beautiful figure of Sachiko sincerely praying. _'No wonder she has so __many fans. I wonder how she keeps track of them all'_ she thought amusedly as to how the young heiress handled some of her hectic and ever enthusiastic fans.

After a few minutes, she noticed Sachiko moving and heading in the direction of the Rose Mansion, which Tsutako considered the most plausible destination. _'Interesting'_ she thought intrigued as she took another casual photo of the girl. _'This sure is rare'_ she mused as she recognized the dazed look on Sachiko's usually calm features. _'I wonder what happened. Usually, Sachiko-sama is far more __focused on her surroundings.'_

Tsutako's eyes widened in realisation as her camera lenses caught view of a few pile of rocks obstructing Sachiko's path. '_Oh my! If she doesn't snap back to reality soon, she will surely trip!'_ And just like that, she saw Sachiko's foot collide with one of the edges and she stood, paralyzed in horror as she was about to witness the prim and elegant Rosa Chinensis en bouton hit the ground, _**hard**_.

To her surprise but more so relief, she saw an undeniably cute girl rushing to Sachiko's rescue. _'Just like a knight in shining armor'. _She quickly took a perfectly-timed shot of the scene that occurred right in front of her very eyes. A huge grin was plastered on her face as she skipped happily towards the Photo Development room.

'_This is perfect! It's just the photo that I need!' _Tsutako thought excitedly. She brought up the newly developed photo nearer to the light to get a clearer view of her once in a life time shot. _'Now all I need is to know this cute girl's name and ask for her and Sachiko-sama's permissions'_ she thought wickedly as she hung the photo up along the line to dry. She quickly made her way to her classroom just in the nick of time as the buzzer rang for the start of class.

* * *

"Sachiko, are you listening?" Mizuno Youko asked for what seemed like the hundredth time to her obviously **irritated** petite seour, Ogasawara Sachiko. She watched as Sachiko sent daggers into the composed and equally serene Todou Shimako, Sei's own petite seour. _'If glares could kill a person, I bet Sachiko would have ended up in jail by now'_ she heaved out a barely audible sigh. She wasn't that naive. She could clearly sense some kind of tension between Sachiko and Shimako. She just couldn't decipher what in the world could have caused it. _'Could it be that these two already met somewhere? But how? When? Where? And what is this tension I am sensing?'_ she thought, starting to feel irritated by her lack of answers.

The Yamayurikai had arranged an impromptu meeting at Sei's request, so that she could formally introduce, and therefore acknowledge, Toudou Shimako as her petite seour. Youko coughed to get everyone's attention and turned towards Sei who looked at her quizzically. She smiled to her fellow Rose and said "Sei, as you can see we are all intrigued as to why you chose Shimako-chan to be your petite seour. You wouldn't mind if we ask why?"

Sei nodded her head in understanding and walked towards where Shimako was seated. She stood behind her and placed her hands on either side of the younger girl's shoulders. "She…" Sei started to say as she looked towards Shimako, wordlessly asking for permission with a questioning gaze.

The exchange of looks between the two made the remaining girls in the room glance at each other in confusion and curiosity as they patiently waited for Sei to continue.

As Shimako comprehend the message behind Sei's glance, she smiled and nodded her head, signaling the blonde to reveal their little yet well-kept secret.

Upon seeing Shimako's nod of approval, Sei continued "She, Toudou Shimako, is not only my petite seour but also my cousin, a distant relative of mine, to be exact."

The sudden revelation shocked the whole group. Eriko, the first to recover from the initial shock, smiled and took it as an opportunity to tease her friend a little. "Oh! No wonder you look sort of alike. I wonder why though, Shimako seems far more serene than you?" The question made Sei glare at Eriko who laughed at her friend's predicted response. It also made the group burst into fits of giggles, except for Sachiko who was busy with her thoughts.

'_She's Sei-sama's cousin? No wonder she looks so familiar! Not only did I see her in middle school but also at that party where Sei-sama brought her along!'_ Sachiko said to herself as bits of long forgotten memories came flooding back to her mind. _'But still! What does she know about Yumi and what is their relationship!' _her mind fumed at the thought of this annoying brat forming a romantic and intimate relationship with **her** angel. She was filled with an overflowing feeling of jealousy at the moment, which she hoped would go unnoticed by the group at large but especially Shimako.

She looked around the room as she witnessed Sei being teased mercilessly by the persistent Eriko. Sachiko sighed and stood up from her chair. After standing up, she was fully aware that the attention of the group had shifted towards her.

Youko heard the unmistakable sound of Sachiko rising from her chair abruptly. She continued to watch the latter with a hint of curiosity. "Classes are about to start soon. Now, if you'll excuse me" she heard her petite seour say as she bid them farewell, without a single glance in Shimako's direction.

* * *

As soon as Sachiko exited the room, Shimako stood up from her chair and bid her farewell too but in a more apologetic and respectable manner. The members left inside shared knowing, amused glances with one another. _'I wonder how our little angel will handle this'_ they all thought simultaneously.

Shimako quickened her pace a little, hoping to catch up with the raven-haired upperclassman. Her unbridled anger not leaving her after what she had witnessed earlier that day.

* * *

_Shimako woke up early. She was full of excitement at the thought of Yumi attending Lillian High. She remembered their conversation during their previous date where Yumi revealed that she would be attending Lillian Academy for the foreseeable future._

"_I can't wait to see her!" she said excitedly as she hurriedly made her way to the bathroom. After a few minutes, she was already set for school._

"_Father, I'm off now" she said as she passed by her loving father._

"_Very well then my child. Have a safe trip" her father replied._

_She thanked him, walked out of the front gates and proceeded towards the nearest bus station. After some time, the bus was in her sight. As it stopped in front of her, the doors opened and she made her way inside. _

'_Oh the agony' she thought as she waited anxiously for the bus to arrive at her destination. As she noticed the bus finally approaching the bus stop of her school, she stepped away from the throng of Lillian and Hanadera students and waited. When she arrived at her destination, she excitedly walked out and politely thanked the driver._

_As she was walking gracefully towards the elegant gates of Lillian, she noticed the looks of admiration from every student who greeted her and whom she greeted back as well. She shrugged her shoulders and continued walking down the path. 'I can't wait to see Yumi and introduce her to Sei-nee-san. I wonder what she'll say when I tell her that I'm Rosa Gigantea's petite seour.' She couldn't help but imagine the two getting on very well. And as that thought came into mind, a smile unconsciously crept onto her gorgeous face, making the girls around her swoon._

_As she was nearing the ivory statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she saw the holder of her heart praying cutely in front of their Mother, beside an upperclassman who she would have recognized anywhere. She noticed the girl stealing a glance to her right hand side where the upperclassman had previously stood._

_It made her curious as to why Yumi was expecting to see Sachiko still praying beside her, or why she even cared. She watched in confusion as the brunette silently walked, trailing Sachiko at a safe distance. Her curiosity had gotten the better of her and she followed suit but not before offering a quick prayer to the Virgin Mary._

'_What?!' her heart and mind screamed with both anger and uncontrolled jealousy. Right there, in front of her and anyone else present to such a scene, was the unsettling sight of Yumi's hand caressing Sachiko's. Well, that simple act didn't affect her that much; the one that affected her the most was how good the two looked as a couple, as if they were made for each other. And being the keen observer that she is, the faint red hue adorning Sachiko's cheek didn't go unnoticed. 'Does she like Yumi?! Oh no, Sachiko-sama. Yumi's mine, get away from her!'_

_With that thought, she hurriedly left the scene and walked towards the Rose Mansion deep in thought. As soon as she had arrived at the Mansion, Sei promptly introduced her as her petite seour. Everyone welcomed her warmly. Youko motioned for her to sit down but instead of complying with the Rose's command, she went into the little kitchenette and started preparing tea for the fore mentioned Roses. _

_The members of the Yamayurikai shared admiring looks, pleased by the thoughtfulness Shimako showed them all. So, Youko, instead of reprimanding the girl for declining a senior's request instead allowed the transgression to pass as they all waited for Sachiko to arrive._

_After a minute or two, Sachiko arrived. Shimako watched her venomously. She smirked inwardly as Sachiko stopped halfway from sitting and stared in Shimako's direction. At that moment, she knew her presence was not only known but recognized.__She waited for Sachiko to sit before serving her tea. As she looked up, she gave Sachiko a smug and challenging smile._

* * *

"Sachiko-sama" a voice called out to her. She instantly knew the owner of the voice as her eyes narrowed with displeasure. Sachiko composed herself before slowly turning in Shimako's direction.

"Gokigenyou… Shimako-san, I presume?" Sachiko greeted a little bit coldly, bowing her head a little as a sign of respect. Even though she felt jealousy towards the girl and her unknown relationship with her loved one, she still respectably greeted her for the fact that Shimako was a human being and a creation of God.

"Yes. You are correct, Sachiko-sama" the beautiful blonde answered, silently impressed by the Ice Princess's degree of showing respect despite the obvious tension between them. Putting that aside, Shimako looked Sachiko in the eye full of determination. "Sachiko-sama, may I ask if you know anyone by the name of Fukuzawa Yumi?"

Sachiko's eyes widened a little. And as quickly as Sachiko had lost her composure by the unexpected question, which left her dumbfounded and surprised, her reaction instantly turned into a soft expression.

Shimako however noticed Sachiko's surprise; then watched as Sachiko's features took on a softer expression before being replaced with a dreamy look. Shimako, infuriated by Sachiko's reaction, opened her mouth and spoke.

"…"

Sachiko's mind didn't fully comprehend the words she just heard. Apparently, she was still busy dreaming about a certain brunette haired angel by the name of Fukuzawa Yumi.

Shimako repeated what she said with a determined and serious expression on her face. "I am aware of your infatuation towards Yumi; but I advise you to not go over the border of friendship"

"…"

Finally the words registered into Sachiko's mind. "Excuse me?!" she said, shocked by the girl's courage and rather forward behavior. "And what makes you think I'd do anything you'd want?" she shot back angrily.

Shimako was taken aback by Sachiko's ferocity; but she won't. No, she can't back down, not now. She was well aware of Sachiko's beauty; but she had immeasurable faith in Yumi. She knows that the brunette would forever remain faithful. She smiled at Sachiko and smugly challenged the latter "She is mine. I'm sorry to tell you Sachiko-sama; but Yumi is mine and I won't give her to anybody without a fight. That is all. Gokigenyou..." She said with finality as she bowed her head and purposely walked past the now boiling Ice Princess of Lillian.

* * *

'_How dare she!' _Sachiko's mind screamed as she walked through the corridors, her mind filled with hatred and contempt for the current Rosa Gigantea en bouton. She was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she didn't notice the greetings of the other students that passed her by. As she finally acknowledged their looks of disappointment, she turned to face the troubled students and offered them a warm smile and greeting.

Sachiko excused herself and started walking towards the building for the second year students. After several seconds, she suddenly found herself thinking about her crush once again. She wasn't sure if what she was feeling right now was love or merely just infatuation._ 'I just don't know yet. Should I open up, and confess that I love her. Do I really want to end up hurting again? Would it be better to bottle this feeling inside of me and lose the chance of ever finding happiness? Will I be forced to marry Suguru and end up regretting it for the rest of my life?' _Sachiko so was preoccupied with her thoughts, that she wasn't aware of her close friend, Hasekura Rei, calling out to her.

* * *

Rei was worried for her friend so as she went out of the Rose Mansion, she immediately searched for Sachiko. _'She was spacing out earlier. I wonder what happened'_ she thought as she remembered Sachiko's unusual behavior during the meeting. She also caught the latter sending Shimako dangerous glares while feigning to drink her tea. _'I just don't get her sometimes'_ She sighed and shook her head.

After a few minutes of greeting other students, walking and searching the school grounds, she finally caught sight of her target. She was a few feet away so she quickened her pace a little hoping to catch up to her. As she neared, she saw Sachiko talking with someone._ 'Is that Shimako? Wait. Why does Sachiko look so mad right now?'_

Upon sensing the two having a heated discussion, she hid herself behind some nearby trees. _'It's a good thing no one's passing by right now. This would be a really bad situation to handle'_ she mused as she attempted to eavesdrop on the conversation. She knew that it wasn't proper to listen to other people's business; but since it concerned her friends, she couldn't help but continue to reassure herself that she wasn't doing anything untoward:_'It's not like I'm eavesdropping. I just want to know what's going on between these two.'_

She heard Sachiko's sweet yet cold voice answer back to Shimako. She could also hear that the latter was asking for something.

"_Aware of your infatuation…"_

"_Towards Yumi…"_

"_But don't go beyond the border of friendship…"_

'_Oh? So this is about Yumi?'_ she thought amusedly as she was already aware of her friend's feelings for the certain girl; but upon clarifying Shimako's feelings as well, she couldn't help but feel nothing but sympathy towards Yumi and at the same time amused as to how the latter would handle this.

After a few minutes, she heard Sachiko's voice rise a little. She was about to intervene but quickly thought otherwise. _'If I show up now, it would be more troublesome' _She listened carefully as she heard more of their conversation. She was clearly far more interested now that it concerned a certain cute brunette.

"_Excuse me!"_

"_And what makes you think I'd do anything you'd want?"_

She heard Sachiko's voice reply. She could sense that Sachiko didn't approve of Shimako's little request at all. She could also sense that Shimako was taken aback by the tone of voice Sachiko replied with.

"_She is mine…"_

"_I'm sorry to tell you Sachiko-sama…"_

"_Yumi is mine. I won't give her to anybody without a fight__.__"_

She heard Shimako say determinedly. And with that, she watched as Shimako walked straight past the visibly enraged Sachiko until she was out of sight. She waited for a while before deciding to continue her pursuit of the noticeably seething form of Sachiko.

"Sachiko!" she called out to her friend. She could clearly see the furious expression on her friend's face. She worriedly noticed that Sachiko didn't greet or even acknowledge the students that wished her a good day; but inwardly sighed with relief when she saw the latter return the greeting before walking away with a dazed look gracing her face once more.

"Sachiko! Wait up! Sachiko!" Rei called out again as she hurriedly but gracefully made her way over to her friend's side. "Hey, Sachiko?" she reiterated as she waved her hands in front of the seemingly out-of-this-world friend of hers, hoping that the simple act would bring her back to reality. After waiting, she saw Sachiko's eyes crawling back to the conscious world. She looked at Sachiko with a knowing smile plastered on her lips.

* * *

Sachiko blinked as she saw hands moving in front of her. She stared at those hands before realization hit her and she was forced to reluctantly look towards the owner of those waving hands where she saw her friend grinning at her as if she had just discovered something worth teasing about. She looked at her friend curiously before responding "Gokigenyou, Rei. I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention. Did you say something?"

Seeing the evident look of curiosity in Sachiko's eyes, Rei swayed her head side-to-side and commented "No. I didn't say anything, actually. I just have this feeling that the direction of the wind has changed its course."

Sachiko eyed her friend. She clearly didn't get the message behind her friend's words and asked "What? I don't quite understand what you mean."

They reached the door of their classroom. Upon hearing Sachiko's reply, Rei answered with a smile "I have a feeling something eventful is about to happen". With that said Rei walked in the classroom and found her seat, leaving a perplexed Sachiko staring at her from the door.

* * *

The door bell rang as Yumi made her way to class. She chose a seat near the window at the back row. _'I didn't get to see her earlier'_ she sighed at the thought of not meeting with Shimako before coming in to class. _'I guess I can just see her later' _she hoped as the thought of a certain blue-eyed upperclassman suddenly popped out of nowhere. _'Sachiko. Ogasawara Sachiko-sama. I feel as if I have met her even before our meeting at that floral shop. But where could have that been?'_ she thought dreamily, unsure whether she had already met the maiden before._ 'She sure is beautiful though…so, so beautiful.'_ Her thoughts came to an abrupt halt as she berated herself. _'Wait. Why do I always say that she's beautiful?! Am I actually attracted to her?! No! I am definitely in love with Shimako. C'mon Yumi! Think straight!'_ Busy with her musings, Yumi was completely oblivious to the sudden attention she was receiving from the class.

"Excuse me, Fukuzawa-san. Fukuzawa Yumi-san" the teacher called out as soon as she noticed the pig-tailed girl not introducing herself.

Upon hearing her name, Yumi snapped back to reality and found herself as the center of attention. She felt heat creep into her cheeks as she abruptly stood up and bowed her head saying "I'm sorry, sensei. My name is Fukuzawa Yumi. It-it's nice to meet you all" she stammered as she finished her introductions, earning her a few points on her cuteness meter.

Her classmates saw the cute dazed look of Yumi and couldn't help but giggle after seeing the flustered look on her face as she realized that all their eyes were focused solely on her. They immediately admired the little brunette, while sections of the class began to already adore the undeniably adorable girl.

As soon as Tsutako recognized the room's center of attention, she had a wicked look on her face. She smiled. _'Perfect! Thank you so much, Maria-sama!'_ she thanked the Virgin Mary wholeheartedly as she thought of a plan to persuade the girl into getting both her permission and help.

Shimako, upon hearing the brunette's voice, beamed and smiled as she immediately looked in her direction. Her smile widened as she saw the cute blush adorning Yumi's cheeks. _'How adorable!'_ her mind squealed. As she saw Yumi's gaze meeting her own, her face turned red as she smiled weakly to the girl. She swore she could have fainted after seeing the charming smile Yumi gave her in response.

Yumi smiled meekly towards the class as she finished her sentence. She scanned the whole room and her attention was caught by a short-haired girl with glasses. As she saw her reflection in those eyes, she momentarily wondered_ 'What in the world is she thinking?'_ She saw those eyes widen slightly upon recognizing her. _'I wonder, have we even met before?'_ she silently asked herself.

After a few seconds, she saw the surprised look gone in an instant replaced by an evil stare that had been accompanied by a silly grin on her face. She couldn't help but shiver as she felt that that stare had something to do with her. _'Oh no! Maria-sama, please. Please don't tell me trouble is on its way'_ she pleaded and begged that her assumption was wrong. Yumi then continued to scan the faces of her classmates. _'These are the people I'm going to spend my first year of high school with. I do hope we all get along' _She flashed them a kind smile which caused cute red hues to appear on the girls' faces at the adorably cute act.

And as Yumi was done scanning the whole room, her eyes met with familiar ones. She recognized those eyes anywhere. _'Shimako!' _she thought happily. She saw the latter blush under her gaze. She personally flashed Shimako her most charming smile and inwardly giggled as she saw the completely flustered look appear on the latter's face.

* * *

After a hilarious introduction, wherein everyone will surely remember, the class officially started. The teacher gave them a few instructions and reminders before the bell rang, signaling that it was time for lunch.

Tsutako hurriedly stood up from her chair and proceeded towards her target, Fukuzawa Yumi. She saw that the latter was busy chatting happily with Shimako. _'Do they already know each other?'_ She watched as Yumi's expression turned from happy, to worry as she continued to talk, rather excitedly, with the flustered blonde.

Tsutako also saw the loving gaze she shot Shimako followed by words she didn't fully comprehend. Her eyes widened as she watched Yumi take her partner's hand and tenderly place a kiss upon Shimako's shaking palm. On reflex, she quickly turned on her camera and took a shot of the tender scene. _'This may be helpful to me in the future. Hehehe'_ she thought. After taking the shot, her curiosity got the better of her as she went closer to join in their conversation.

Shimako got up from her chair as she made her way to Yumi's seat. Her gaze, for the second time that day, met with Yumi's. She smiled and took a seat right in front of her.

"Yumi-san, I can't believe it! I'm glad that we're actually classmates!" she said happily.

Yumi beamed seeing Shimako's happiness to the fact that they were classmates. "Uh-hmm" she hummed and nodded her head in response. "I didn't see you earlier. I was worried you didn't make it. I thought you might have caught a cold or maybe something terrible happened while you were coming to school. Shimako, please send me a message next time" she added, complete worry shown in her features.

Shimako blushed and was grateful for the concern Yumi showed her. "Oh? You sound like you're my girlfriend or something"

Yumi was shocked at Shimako's words. She never thought Shimako would think of her that way. She smiled and admitted "I would never forgive myself if my adorable angel was ever hurt". After saying those words, she gently took a hold of Shimako's hand and brought it to her lips, giving it a loving but brief kiss.

Shimako's face flushed even more after feeling Yumi's lips on her skin, her own lips tingling at the thought of tentatively claiming Yumi's lips with hers.

"By the way, Shimako, are you free later?" Yumi asked. "I mean, if you aren't doing anything, maybe we can go out after classes are over?" she added hopefully.

Upon hearing Yumi's proposal of having a date with her, Shimako felt extremely excited about the unexpected turn of events. Her excitement was short lived however as she suddenly remembered the meeting that had been arranged with the Yamayurikai. And so, with a sad tone in her voice, she replied "I would love to, Yumi-san. Unfortunately, I have a meeting to attend to. I am the petite seour of the current Rosa Gigantea so I can't afford to miss it" _'Besides, this way, I can keep an eye on Sachiko-sama.'_

"Oh, I understand. Congratulations, Shimako! I'm sure you'll make a wonderful Rose someday" Yumi answered without a hint of disappointment as she excitedly congratulated her secret crush, completely understanding Shimako's predicament.

A few minutes later, Yumi felt a presence approach them. The two of them gave their full attention to the newly arrived student who merely smiled a devious smile.

"Gokigenyou, Shimako-san, Yumi-san. My name is Takeshima Tsutako" Tsutako greeted upon seeing the questioning look on Yumi's face. "I was one of Shimako-san's classmates before. I was wondering if the two of you already knew each other. You seem close. If I didn't know any better, I'd have thought you were a couple"

Yumi and Shimako's face turned beet red at Tsutako's words. '_Did she just say we look like a couple?'_ their minds screamed as their hearts began to beat in emphasis to the mere suggestion of companionship. In fact for several moments, they thought that it would literally jump out of their chests.

"Di-did you mean us being a co-couple, Tsutako-san?" Yumi stammered at the wonderful thought of Shimako being her girlfriend. After seeing Tsutako's nod of approval, their faces turned redder, if that was even possible.

There was a long pause among the three individuals. _'Oh, Maria-sama, I beg of you. Please save us'_ Yumi and Shimako prayed in unison. And as if their plea had been answered, the bell rang for the afternoon session. Both Tsutako and Shimako went back to their respective seats as the teacher entered.

* * *

The afternoon session quickly ended. Yumi waited for Shimako to finish fixing her things and they slowly made their way to the statue of Maria-sama. They paused and sent her their thanks for giving them the unexpectedly wonderful opportunity to not only meet but to become even closer to one another.

"Yumi-san, I'm heading this way. I'll see you soon, ok?" Shimako uttered as Yumi finished with her prayer.

"Very well, then, Shimako. Good luck with your meeting, ok?" Yumi responded with a smile. She watched as Shimako's figure drifted slowly out of sight, drinking up the sight of Shimako for as long as she could. She then turned towards the opposite direction, walking towards the gates of Lillian Academy to return home when a hand grabbed her by the shoulders. She turned around and saw Tsutako grinning her usual cunning smile.

"Is there something you need from me, Tsutako-san?" Yumi asked politely, wondering what the other girl needed from her.

"Hmm... Yes, I do actually, Yumi-san" Tsutako replied, uncertain whether her companion would be willing to help her or not.

Yumi nodded her head and said thoughtfully "If it is under my grasp, I'd be happy to"

A huge grin crept its way onto her face once more upon hearing the response from Yumi. "Ohh, are you sure, Yumi-san? You really wouldn't mind?"

"Not at all. If a friend is in need, I'd see to it that I would help that friend to the best of my ability. Now, what is it that you need help from me?" Yumi reassured her, with slight trepidation in her voice.

"Thank you, Yumi-san! Well, I would only like to get your permission"

"My permission? What on earth for?" Yumi replied, completely puzzled as to why Tsutako would want or even need her permission.

"Weell, I would like to exhibit this photo during the Culture Festival. If you don't mind" Tsutako replied as she held up a photo that shocked Yumi to the very core of her being, her eyes widening in a comical fashion.

"Whe… How? But..." Yumi started to say as words continued to fail her surprised mind.

"When did I take this? Or how did I take this?" Tsutako offered, giggling at the different emotions showing on Yumi's face. Yumi nodded, not trusting her voice at the moment.

"Well, I was following her to get some interesting shots. I didn't feel anything towards the other pictures I took but with this particular picture, I sense something different. Would you allow me to post this, please?" she asked almost pleadingly, sincerely hoping Yumi would agree to this important request.

Yumi saw those pleading eyes and her defenses instantly began to crumble under such a hopeful look. _'Oh man, with that look I couldn't possibly turn her down'_ she sighed as she reluctantly agreed to her friend's wish.

Upon seeing Yumi's nod of approval, she felt relieved and at the same time overwhelmingly happy. "Yumi-san, thank you! Thank you so much!"

Yumi was happy seeing her friend gleam with happiness. But suddenly, Tsutako's expression took on a rather sad look as she remembered one last hurdle. "What's wrong?" she asked concerned for the photographer's sudden change of mood.

"I totally forgot. It's going to be hard to get _her_ permission" Tsutako sighed as the thought that getting the other person's permission would be immensely difficult crossed her mind.

"Plus, the members of the Yamayurikai are quite intimidating. I don't know how to ask any of them for help" she exclaimed sadly when she suddenly thought of an evil idea. "Say, Yumi-san. May I ask for another favor? PLEASSEE!"

Yumi's eyes went wide as she soon realized what her friend wanted from her this time.

"EHH?!" came her startled yet seemingly intelligent reply.

* * *

Did you guys enjoy it? Hahaha :D

Comments, reviews, criticisms, suggestions, violent reactions and PMs are very much welcome! Thank you for spending your time reading this noob story of mine!

Have a nice day!


	6. Chapter 6

**Honolicious:** Mmm, Shimako "likes" Yumi that way too! ;)

**Claine24:** I'm glad ^^ I hope this chapter is to your liking as well, kababayan? :D Kamusta ka na pala?

**Nyaaaaaaah:** Well, I guess they are? :P Hahaha, I have seen some ;)

**Shameka:** Thank you ^^ Here's Chapter 6 for your enjoyment :D

**Orangesora:** Hehe, thank you :D I hope you'll enjoy this chapter too!

**FS9:** Hmm, you should study :P Wouldn't want the readers failing because of this :P Maybe I shouldn't update for about two months? ;) Just kidding :D Anyway, good luck for your exams!

To all the readers out there, **THANK YOU** for reading this story of mine ^_^ I do hope this chapter is to your enjoyment as well! :D

I also want to send my heartfelt gratitude (woah? :P) to my **although-kind-in-nature-and-very-talented-I-still-think-he-is-somewhat-mean** beta-reader, **Miracles79! **Hahaha :D Thank you! :P

And last but not the least, I do not own Maria-sama ga Miteru... :D

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

* * *

'_How did it come to this' _her mind screamed as she sighed inwardly. _'One minute I was accompanying a friend to get Sachiko-sama's permission and now…' _Fukuzawa Yumi stood rigidly as she witnessed the members of the Yamayurikai and her beloved, Todou Shimako, fight over something so trivial.

"Shimako..." Yumi started to say in an attempt to calm down the obviously annoyed Rosa Gigantea en bouton. She was thankful to see that when Shimako turned towards her direction she had a visibly softer expression on her beautiful features. "Why don't you want me to become Sachiko-sama's petite seour?" she asked completely confused as to why Shimako was so strongly set against the idea.

"Yumi… I… I just don't want you to!" Shimako answered back rather harshly which caught Yumi completely by surprise as Shimako's once soft expression turned pensive.

Yumi sighed audibly as she silently replayed the event that caused Shimako's little outburst.

* * *

"_Yumi-san?" Takeshima Tsutako asked as Yumi hummed her reply. "Arigato for accompanying me" _

"_It's no problem, Tsutako-san. After all, what could possibly go wrong, we're just asking for Sachiko-sama's permission?" Yumi replied completely unaware of what fate had in store for her within the aptly named Rose Mansion._

_After their little chat, the pair fell into a comfortable silence. Until a few seconds later, when Tsutako opened her mouth and asked "Yumi-san, I've been wondering for awhile now, do you and Shimako-san know each other?"_

_Yumi turned towards her friend, confusion evident in her eyes "Why were you able to say that, Tsutako-san?"_

_Tsutako smirked at the honest yet innocent reply that Yumi just gave her. 'Hmm, I wonder how you'll react if I show you this other picture? Should I show it to her or not?' Her smile widened some more as another brilliant, or rather; evil idea crossed her mind as she opted to choose the former. "Anyone would be curious if they saw this scene" she said as she revealed the picture she had taken during lunch break. "You two sure had a rather tender moment really makes me wonder what your relationship is. Are you sure you're not hiding something from me, Yumi-san?"_

_Yumi was left speechless. 'Wha-? We were seen?!' Her face became beet red at the thought of someone, especially Tsutako, having seen them while they were both off in their own private world._

_Tsutako quickly took a shot of the blushing Yumi. "How cute" she commented with a sly smile. "You have such an expressive face. It adds more to your charisma. I bet that's why Shimako-san likes you… a lot."_

_Yumi abruptly turned her head away from Tsutako after seeing the bright flash of light. She knew that she was flushing tremendously after the comment she had just heard. She gave Tsutako a stern glare upon hearing the girl's hand covered giggles._

_Tsutako couldn't help but giggle at the cute reactions Yumi was giving her. 'Yumi-san sure is an interesting subject. I can't wait to see how many more cute reactions she makes. One thing for sure though, and that is that my camera and I will always be ready.'_

_As they were having their nice little exchange of words, a blue-eyed upperclassman heard everything from a distance. She had a brilliant idea in mind for the upcoming Culture Festival. So she quickly made her way towards the Rose Mansion, being careful not to be seen by the two chatting girls._

_Tsutako and Yumi finally reached the foot of the Rose Mansion. They were debating whether they should impose themselves on the student council or not, after all the Yamayurikai were in the middle of an important meeting._

"_Tsutako-san…" Yumi started to say but was cut off by Tsutako raising her hand in front of her._

"_Now, Yumi-san, you said it yourself; it is just an easy task to get someone's permission" Tsutako stated in a-matter-of-factly tone._

"_Yes, I did say that; but you should be the one to initiate it, don't you think? Besides, you are the one who desperately wants Sachiko-sama's permission" Yumi replied with conviction._

_Tsutako could only pout at her friend's remarks. True, it was she who wanted Sachiko's permission and she should be thankful that Yumi was kind enough to offer her help. And so, with a sigh, she raised her hand to knock on the wooden door when an unexpected voice called from behind them._

"_Excuse me, but do you need something of the Yamayurikai?" asked the serene voice of Shimazu Yoshino, the petite seour of Hasekura Rei._

_Both Tsutako and Yumi flinched out of sheer fear. They swore that their souls would have gone through them after such an unexpected question or that their hearts would leap out of their chest, literally. They were solely focused with who will initiate the act that they didn't notice a third presence waiting patiently behind them._

"_Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you" Yoshino said with an apologetic smile._

"_N-no, it's okay. We just didn't expect someone..." Yumi answered thoughtfully, waving her hands side-to-side in front of her to emphasize that the girl had done nothing wrong._

"_Hmm, that's right, Yoshino-san. You have nothing to worry about. We're sorry to have worried you." Tsutako spoke up from behind after calming the frantic beating of her heart._

"_Tsutako-san, isn't that Shimazu Yoshino from the other class? What is she doing here?" Yumi uttered softly as to only let Tsutako hear her._

"_Oh? You didn't hear, Yumi-san? She's the petite seour of Hasekura Rei-sama, the current Rosa Foetida en bouton. She has been ever since she entered high school." Tsutako replied in an equally hushed tone._

_Yumi processed this new found information from Tsutako and nodded her head in understanding._

"_Oh, I get it." They then turned their attention back to Yoshino who was eyeing them suspiciously. They both gave her a weak smile to which the girl in braids responded with a shrug of her shoulders._

"_Well, if you insist. Anyways, do you need something from the Yamayurikai?" Yoshino re-iterated her earlier statement._

_Tsutako nodded her head and said "Yes, we need to speak with Rosa Chinensis en bouton about something. Could you convey that message to her?"_

_Yoshino looked thoughtful for a moment and opened her mouth to respond then said "Oh, if that's the case, please come in. I think Sachiko-sama is on the second floor."_

"_Please excuse us, then." Tsutako and Yumi replied in unison, as the three schoolmates went inside with Yoshino heading the group._

"_It's old yet seemingly beautiful in a way" Yumi commented as they climbed the creaky, old, wooden stairs in silence until a loud and evidently angry voice was heard._

"_You are being tyrannical and mean!" the owner of the voice exclaimed from behind the biscuit door._

_Upon hearing the statement, the three girls exchanged questioning looks with each other._

"_Hmm, you're in luck. Sachiko-sama is here" Yoshino stated upon sensing the question behind her schoolmates' gaze._

"_Th-that's Sachiko-sama?! I don't believe it!" Tsutako said disbelievingly after hearing Yoshino's statement._

"_It happens all the time" Yoshino commented as she laughed due to the pairs' evident looks of shock and surprise. They moved closer to the door with Yumi in the middle, looking visibly dazed, while the other girls stood either side of her._

'_Hmm, so even a beautiful maiden such as Sachiko-sama can be feisty' Yumi thought as she pondered how the gorgeous upperclassman's expression would look right now 'I wonder if she's like that in bed' she vigorously shook her head as that surprisingly erotic thought came into mind. She was blushing tremendously. And unconsciously, she made her way to the center of the doorway._

_Yumi was immediately brought out of her reverie when she felt a body collide with hers. She let out an unladylike grunt as she hit the floor. Slowly, Yumi let out a pained murmur, the back of her head throbbing slightly, before she opened her eyes to a much unexpected sight. Looking back at her were the bluest, most beautiful eyes she had ever encountered._

* * *

"Shimako, that's enough, please calm down" Satou Sei said to her enraged petite soeur. "Why are you so strongly against this? I mean, you should be happy that Sachiko has finally found a petite soeur."

"It's not that I'm not happy, I just don't want **her** to be Sachiko-sama's petite soeur" _'Oh please, I'd accept anyone. Anyone but my Yumi!' _her mind fumed at the mere thought of Yumi and Sachiko becoming closer through their proposed soeur bond. "And besides not only does Sachiko-sama want Yumi to be her soeur, but also to be her partner in the play!" she continued hastily.

"But why don't you want Yumi to participate in the play, let alone be Sachiko's partner?" Mizuno Youko joined in with a hint of confusion in her tone.

"That's right, Shimako-san. Why don't you want Yumi to be paired up with me? It's not like the two of you are in a relationship or something?" Ogasawara Sachiko asked with a smirk invisible to all but the enraged Rosa Gigantea en bouton.

Shimako was caught off guard by the unexpected question which caused her to blush. The small blush adorning her cheeks didn't escape the sharp eyes of the members of the Yamayurikai. Shimako could feel her cheeks burning up even more as she became aware that the interest and attention of the people present was turned solely towards her._'I swear Sachiko-sama, I'll get you for this' _she silently swore to herself.

"That's because she already has a Prince Charming of her own, am I wrong?" she suddenly stated upon remembering that they have already chosen someone to be Sachiko's leading man. "And besides Sei-nee-san, I thought you said it would be for Sachiko-sama's benefit if her partner was male. Isn't that why you choose Kashiwagi Suguru-san in the first place? I thought you wanted to help Sachiko-sama overcome her fear of men?"

Sachiko's face gloomed after Shimako's confession. _'So that was their real intention. I should have known'_she thought as their conversation earlier surfaced in her mind.

* * *

_All the members of the Yamayurikai except for Yoshino had already arrived. Shimako served them tea before settling down in her own chair beside her Onee-sama._

"_Shall we commence with the meeting?" Torii Eriko asked the people at hand. Upon receiving a nod from each of them she continued her earlier statement "This meeting is about the play for our Culture Festival. We will be doing a joint play concerning two classics: Cinderella and Aladdin"_

"_That is an interesting proposition, Rosa Foetida. May we know as to who are the main casts?" Hasekura Rei stated rather excitedly._

"_Well, we have yet to assign the other characters" this time it was Rosa Chinensis who spoke, answering Rei's question in Eriko's stead "But our leading lady is Ogasawara Sachiko and her partner is Hanadera's student council president, Kashiwagi Suguru-san" she then turned her attention to her seemingly dazed petite soeur._

_Sitting quietly in her seat, Sachiko was paying only half of her attention to the meeting. She was too busy thinking,to notice the stares from her fellow Roses, as she silently contemplated how she could make Yumi her partner in the play. 'That's perfect! Onee-sama did say I'm the lead role. Now, all I need to do is come up with a plan on how to get Yumi to be my partner'_

_The atmosphere in the room became tense after Youko's declaration and Sachiko's silence. The members of the three Rose families glanced at one another with a worried look. How can they explain to Sachiko their selfish wishes? But, this was for her own good, was it not? They were all debating whether they should crawl their way out of the Rose Mansion or stay and face Sachiko's unbridled fury that would surely come._

_As the room went quiet, Sachiko's mind slowly processed the rest of what her Onee-sama had eyes widened a little from the troubling realization. 'But when did they decide this?'she composed herself before she faked a cough to get everyone's attention. Satisfied that she was able to get their attention, she spoke in a firm tone "May I ask when did you decide this, Onee-sama?"_

"_When you were too busy with your family order to make this play successful, we asked for the help of Hanadera's student council president, Kashiwagi Suguru-san to be the Prince Charming and you, my dear petite soeur are to be his princess" Youko stated once again._

_This time, however, Sachiko stood up from her chair abruptly causing everyone present to flinch in surprise. "What?!"_

"_Now Sachiko, calm down" Sei ushered Sachiko to sit back down on her seat wary of her enraged gait._

"_But don't I have a say on this matter?!" Sachiko answered, calmness not shown in her features at all._

"_Anyone who doesn't belong to a petite soeur doesn't have any saying in this matter." Youko calmly answered._

"_You are being tyrannical and mean!" Sachiko shot back, anger evident in her voice and features. The room was so focused on Sachiko that none of them noticed the faint footsteps coming up the stairs or the turning of the door knob._

"_Fine. I understand. All I need to do is find one right now and then I can drop the role, right?" with that said, Sachiko stormed out of the room only to be abruptly halted in her tracks when a body collided with hers. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the impact with whoever it was that she had inadvertently hit. She heard an unladylike grunt from the person beneath her as they collided with the floor, Sachiko's body pining the unknown girl's frame firmly against the floor._

* * *

"_Yumi-san?!"_

"_Yumi-san, are you alright?!"_

_Sachiko heard some voice call as she attempted to regain her blurred vision. 'Wait. Did they just say Yumi?' Sachiko's eyes quickly flung open upon registering in her mind that she was on top of Yumi. She could feel her cheeks burning when she saw Yumi gazing into her eyes intently. 'She's looking at me like the one in my dream last night' She broke eye contact and hastily moved away from her not-so-secret-anymore-since –Shimako-knows crush. "A-are you alright?" she asked as she offered her hand to help the girl stand up. She saw Yumi's face flush before she shakily took her offered hand._

"_My. Being pinned down to the floor with 50 kg on top of you sure is nasty. Is the victim alright?" Sei playfully remarked from behind as she received a deathly glare from the said 50-kg person._

"_Ye-yes. I'm alright" Yumi stammered, probably from the hurt of her bottom or from the rapid beating of her heart since she and Sachiko are still holding hands. When she looked past the upperclassmen, she saw Shimako staring at her with a disapproving look towards their still intertwined fingers. Yumi quickly let go of Sachiko's hands and smiled weakly towards Shimako as the latter looked at her with a suddenly softer expression._

_Sachiko immediately missed the warmth that seemed to emanate from Yumi's hand when the latter let go of hers. She saw Shimako and Yumi exchange looks between one another which caused her frown to further deepen. She leaned towards Yumi's ear and whispered "You are a first year, right Yumi? Do you have an Onee-sama?"_

_Yumi felt shivers running down her spine at the feel of Sachiko's warm breath on her bare skin. She stammered her answer "N-no. I don't have an Onee-sama. Why'd you ask, Sachiko-sama?" as she looked up to Sachiko with a questioning look._

'_She's so cute!' Sachiko's mind screamed. "Good" was all she said. "Shall we all go inside?" she offered to everyone present with a goofy smile on her face._

_Everyone around wondered what could have possibly caused that smile to appear; then again, upon seeing the cute little brunette, they all guessed who the cause was. They all went in the room and sat down to their respective seats, offering their guests some food to eat._

_Sachiko's eyes were twitching in anger as she observed Shimako serving Yumi some tea. To the others, it may seem like an innocent act to serve a guest some light refreshment; but for Sachiko, it was Shimako's way to flirt with her angel. 'That's it! I have had enough! Let's just see how you'll react after this declaration of mine.'_

"_Everyone, I have an announcement to make" Sachiko said a little bit loudly making sure everyone within the Rose Mansion could hear, especially Shimako who glared at her with a questioning look._

_Youko looked at her petite seour with an equally questioning gaze. "And what are you playing at, Sachiko?"_

_Sachiko stood up from her seat, resting her hands on Yumi's shoulders and said in a serious tone "Right here, right now. I am proclaiming Fukuzawa Yumi to be my petite soeur and to play the role of Prince Charming in the play"_

_Sachiko smirked inwardly when she saw Shimako's expression. After what seemed like an eternity, Shimako hastily declined her proposition._

* * *

Sachiko was brought out of her musings when she felt a hand squeeze hers under the table. She turned towards the owner of the offending hand preparing to give the intruder a piece of her mind but blushed instead when she saw Yumi looking at her with evident worry.

"Sachiko-sama, are you alright?" she heard Yumi ask with that soothingly alluring voice of hers.

Sachiko could only nod in response, not trusting the strength of her voice at the moment. She smiled meekly to the girl before turning her attention to the happily chatting Head Roses.

"Onee-sama," Sachiko called out. When she saw Youko look at her she continued "What do you think of my proposition?"

Youko had a questioning look before realization finally dawned on her. "Well, I don't think it's a problem. It's just that, I don't think the two of you know each other well enough to make such a hasty decision."

Shimako, who finally calmed down a bit, was listening intently to the Red Rose's family members. She heaved out a great sigh of relief upon hearing Youko's reply. Unfortunately, her relief was short lived.

Yoshino, upon hearing the remark from Youko, suddenly said "I don't think so, Rosa Chinensis. After all, Tsutako-san and Yumi-san came here looking for Sachiko-sama"

Sachiko was shocked by such a blissful revelation. _'She came here looking for me?' she thought as _her heart soared in excitement. She didn't expect Yumi to come into the Rose Mansion solely looking for her.

Shimako's eyes turned into slits. She smiled evilly to Yumi as she asked in a dangerous tone "Is that true, Yumi?"

Yumi gulped the saliva that got stuck in her throat when she saw the evil permeating within Shimako's eyes. "Err…" her mind was working frantically to come up with a reasonable explanation. She had never seen this side of Shimako before. It caused an unpleasant chill to run down the center of her spine.

Tsutako, who was just sitting on the sidelines, decided that she should save Yumi from her crisis. "That's right. We have come here to get Sachiko-sama's permission."

"My permission? What on earth for?" Sachiko looked from Yumi to Tsutako, confusion evident on her features.

"Well, for this" Tsutako answered Sachiko's question as she showed the pictures she had taken earlier on in the day.

When the pictures were handed down to her, Sachiko couldn't stop her heart from thumping loudly. _'Oh my! I've just got to have this picture!' _Although Sachiko is not a morning person, she definitely remembered this encounter earlier. She looked to Yumi, who smiled at her shyly. _'Is she blushing?' _She could feel her face heating up before finally realizing the leverage she now held in her slightly shaking hand so she turned to her Onee-sama and said "As you can see, Yumi and I are pretty close."

Shimako had a displeased look on her beautiful face. She could feel her jealousy reeling up again. She was about to give her unbiased opinion on the situation but Youko beat her to it.

"Very well, then. I acknowledge her as your petite seour" Youko responded after seeing the pictures.

Shimako and Yumi were shocked. They never expected the Rosa Chinensis to agree so easily.

Sachiko was a different story. An alluring smile adorned her beautiful face. _'I finally found a petite seour! And it's Yumi, by the least! Maria-sama, I can't thank you enough!'_ Her happiness however was ruined when she heard Youko's words afterwards.

"But, your prince charming is still Kashiwagi-san" Youko added.

Sachiko's smile vanished at the words of her Onee-sama. "But Onee-sama! I have found a petite seour!"

"Yes. We did say that, but we never agreed that you could drop the role if you ever found one" it was Sei who said those words.

Sachiko remained silent. Eriko said "Well, now that you know you can't drop your role, would you still take Yumi as your petite seour?"

Yumi watched the exchange. _'Oh? So I was only a lucky first year who happened to be around?_' she felt somewhat saddened by Sachiko's reasons. She can't explain why but she feels a strong almost desperate need to protect the older girl after what she just heard- Sachiko's fear of men.

"Of course. Yumi is my seour!" Sachiko proclaimed with all the determination she could muster.

The people present never expected for Sachiko to stand so adamantly strong in her decision.

"If you want, I shall perform the ceremony right in front of you." Sachiko suddenly proclaimed.

If Sachiko's determination shocked them, it doubled upon hearing Sachiko's statement.

"Oh, please do" Sei said after recovering.

"Yes, it's been a long time since I've experienced such a glorious occasion" Youko stated, excitement evident in her tone.

"Yes, please do the honors, Sachiko" Eriko added, equally excited.

"Very well" was all Sachiko said as she grasped the rosary that was hanging from her neck. "Hold still" she instructed the younger girl who was fidgeting nervously at the increasing attention, but more so the life changing situation. _'I'm finally going to make Yumi my petite seour! This way I can know her better. I might even be able to show her how I feel!'_ her heart soared with excitement at the thought that she can be by Yumi's side anytime she wants.

Yumi was anxious at the moment. She didn't know what to do. A part of her desperately wanted to become Sachiko's soeur and yet something was stopping her from accepting it wholeheartedly. Before Sachiko could place the rosary around her neck however, she pulled away.

Sachiko was surprised by Yumi's actions as her hands remained outstretched merely looking at Yumi with a puzzled expression adorning her gorgeous features.

"I'm sorry. But I can't be Sachiko-sama's petite soeur" Yumi announced to the room at large. Sachiko felt numb all over and her grasp on the rosary gradually began to loosen, until it fell from her fingers and clattered against the ground, its sounds reverberating against the barren walls of the Rose Mansion.

Everyone stared at the shocking scene in disbelief. They didn't expect for Yumi to reject Sachiko. They were left utterly speechless.

"I have at least the right to know why you would reject my rosary." _'Why you denied my heart reaching out to you?'_

Sachiko uttered her question without her voice quivering, for which she was thankful for. But even if she hid her feelings well through her mask, she wasn't able to hide the hurt in her eyes.

Youko heard Sachiko's statement. It felt somewhat off to her. She looked at her petite soeur in concern and was shocked when she saw the hurt in Sachiko's eyes, wherein everyone else was oblivious to it except her and a certain pig-tailed brunette.

Yumi could clearly see the hurt in those sapphire eyes she had come to adore. _'I really hurt her'_ she thought sadly. "It's not that I don't like you, Sachiko-sama. I just believe that we don't know each other well enough to forge such a bond. In order for a pair to become seours, they should know everything about the other and trust in one another without hesitation. But we don't have that connection. We just met today, I have no clue whatsoever of who you are or you of I" Yumi explained in an honest way possible.

Sachiko understood Yumi's reasons. _'So she wants us to know each other better' _"I see…" was all she could say. Even though she knew of Yumi's reasons, the pain she was feeling right now was still far too strong for her to think logically at such a time. She picked up the rosary that had fallen on the floor and silently sat down on her chair.

"So Sa-chan has been rejected by our cute Yumi. Such a shame" Sei said a little bit dramatically.

Youko gave Sei a disapproving look "Sei, please. I prefer you quit your teasing for just a little while, if you can manage such a feat." she said sternly.

Sei dropped her head and Eriko could only giggle.

"Very well, then. If I can't drop the role or have a soeur, can I at least have Yumi as my partner?" Sachiko pleaded with her eyes.

Eriko looked at Sachiko in the eye and said "I'm sorry, Sachiko, but I'm afraid that's not possible."

"But I…" Sachiko started to say but was cut off by Youko.

"We want to help. Please understand our reasons. But if you want Yumi to participate that badly…" Youko said looking from Sachiko to Yumi as she addressed the latter "Would you do us the honor, Yumi-chan?"

Yumi sighed. She felt bad for hurting the raven haired beauty and so she swore to herself that if the upperclassman ever asked for anything, she would comply with it willingly. "I don't see any reason to reject your offer, Youko-sama. I look forward to working with you all" Yumi said with a bow.

Shimako, who was silent the rest of the meeting, suddenly stood up from her chair, walked over towards Yumi, thereby earning the confused looks from the Yamayurikai. She purposely linked her arms with Yumi's.

"Shimako?" Sei asked Shimako upon seeing what the latter just did.

"Onee-sama…" was all Shimako said in response, although her eyes held a secret message one which only her cousin could comprehend.

Sei understood immediately what Shimako wanted. She then faced the crowd and asked "Well, why don't we pair Yumi and Shimako up?"

Shimako visibly beamed at Sei's suggestion and her smile only widened some more upon seeing the other members nod their heads in approval. She turned her gaze towards Sachiko's and could clearly see in her peripheral vision the frown adorning her face.

"Arigato" Shimako said to the members of the Yamayurikai before she gave Yumi her sweetest smile and a slight squeeze on their enclosed hands.

Yumi flushed seeing Shimako's smile. _'So beautiful'_she then returned the smile with an equally sweet smile of her own.

Shimako bowed her head and said "I believe this meeting is adjourned. Gokigenyou."

"Gokigenyou." She heard the members reply as she straightened her posture. With that, she walked out of the room with Yumi linked in her arms; before going out however, she purposely looked towards Sachiko and gave her a look that clearly stated one thing…

"I told you she was mine."

Sachiko fumed upon seeing the look Shimako gave her, her usually calm expression faltering and her finger nails digging into the palm of her hand. _'Urgh.! How I loathe her right now!'_

* * *

The next day, the news about Yumi rejecting Sachiko's rosary spread out quickly. The newspaper club bothered her every time they had the chance. Yumi was sitting in her classroom during lunch time with a frown adorning her cute, expressive face. She turned to Tsutako and said "Tsutako, did you say anything to anyone?"

Tsutako feigned a hurt expression "Of course not, Yumi-san. I'm hurt. Don't you trust me at all?"

Yumi rolled her eyes hearing her friend's reply. _'I can't believe her.'_

"Oh look, Yumi-san. Here comes trouble" Tsutako said upon spotting the president of the Newspaper Club storming to their classroom.

Yumi jerked up from her seat and sent Tsutako a silent message.

Tsutako sighed before muttering "Fine…" with that she stood up and headed towards the door, to serve as a distraction.

'_Even at lunch, they still disturb me' _Yumi sighed, her fingers squeezing the bridge of her nose in irritation.

Yoshino was coming up the stairs when she noticed Yumi's notably distressed state. She smiled and called out to the girl "Yumi-san!"

Yumi heard her name being called out. She searched for the owner of the voice and saw Yoshino waving in her direction. She gave Yoshino her most charming smile, relieved to see a familiar face in her present situation, and responded likewise "Oh! Hey Yoshino-san!"

"Where are you going, Yumi-san?" Yoshino asked as she approached Yumi with a questioning gaze.

"I'm looking for a place where I can eat peacefully" Yumi declared with a defeated sigh, turning in the direction of Minako-sama, the head of the school newspaper, who was eagerly conversing with Tsutako-san.

Yoshino couldn't help but giggle at her friend's remark.

"What's so funny?" Yumi asked a little bit annoyed.

"Oh, I'm sorry Yumi-san. Anyways, would you like to eat with me?" Yoshino managed to say after settling her laughter down.

Yumi, grateful for her friend's kindness, accepted the generous offer, as they silently made their way out of the classroom being careful to avoid the patrolling newspaper members. They eventually arrived at the back of the gymnasium where they set out their bentos and ate in comfortable silence.

"You know Yumi-san, you should have accepted Sachiko-sama's rosary." Yoshino suddenly said completely out of the blue.

Yumi looked at her friend, confused "And why would you say that?"

Yoshino looked thoughtful for a second before responding "That's because I think you suit each other."

Yumi blushed at hearing Yoshino's declaration as she averted her eyes from everything that wasn't Yoshino related. "Geez, Yoshino-san"

Yoshino giggled some more after seeing Yumi's adorable reaction. She stood up and faced her companion "Shall we go?"

Yumi mimicked her friend and nodded her head as they made their way to their classes which would resume in a far more peaceful manner.

* * *

Yumi and some of her classmates were having cleaning duty.

"Yumi-san, shall we go?" one of the girls asked as they were finished with their assigned tasks.

"Mmm-mnn… It's alright, you can go on ahead. I'll turn in the cleaning log for you" Yumi responded with one of her cute smiles. The girls blushed and could only nod in response to the undeniably cute brunette.

"Okay, then. Gokigenyou."

Yumi was now left alone in the music room. She could see different instruments everywhere. She sat down on one of the chairs facing the back of the door and began to strum the strings of the guitar she had picked up.

"Oh? I didn't know you can play the guitar" a voice said.

Yumi jerked up in surprise upon hearing the familiar voice. _'I've been scared a lot lately' _she mused. She got up from her seat and slowly turned her whole body around. She then properly greeted her visitor in the ideal manner "Gokigenyou, Sachiko-sama. Yes, I do play a little"

Sachiko returned the greeting and sat down beside Yumi in which the latter did the same.

"What are you doing here, Sachiko-sama?" Yumi asked breaking the silence that enveloped them.

"Hmm… I was looking for you. Your classmates did say you were here and so I came" Sachiko hummed and responded.

Yumi could feel her face heating up at the unexpectedly heart soaring turn of events. _'She came looking for me?'_

"Yumi…" Sachiko started to say but was quickly cut off by Yumi.

"Sachiko-sama, if this is about the rosary, I already told you my reasons. I don't know much about you nor you I" Yumi repeated the words she said yesterday at the Mansion while her expression soured at the hurtful memory.

Sachiko sighed. She totally forgot Yumi's reasons. She just wanted to be with the girl she deeply admired. Was that too much to ask?

Yumi felt guilty and so she strummed the strings of the guitar to get Sachiko's attention. When she got the result that she wanted, she smiled "Well, since it's just the two of us. Why don't I introduce myself?" Yumi asked a little playfully.

Sachiko was taken aback by what Yumi just said but shehad always wanted to know the girl better and so she hummed "Okay"

With that simple reply Yumi started strumming the guitar strings with her right hand and forming chords with her left hand. She played the intro, opened her mouth and started singing the lyrics of the song.

_I'm, I'm good at wasting time  
I think lyrics need to rhyme  
And you're not asking  
But I'm trying to grow a mustache_

Sachiko blinked in astonishment at how wonderful Yumi's singing voice truly was. It was like nothing Sachiko had ever heard before. She listened intently but had to contain her laughter at the part where Yumi said she was trying to grow a mustache.

Yumi saw Sachiko's surprise and the said girl holding in her laughter after the first verse. She couldn't help but smile. She continued.

_I eat cheese, but only on pizza, please  
And sometimes on a homemade quesadilla  
Otherwise it smells like feet to me  
And I, I really like it when the moon looks like a toenail  
And I love you when you say my name_

_If you wanna know_  
_Here it goes_  
_Gonna tell you this_  
_The part of me that'll show if you're close_  
_Gonna let you see everything_  
_But remember that you asked for it_  
_I'll try to do my best to impress_  
_But it's easier to let you take a guess at the rest_  
_But you wanna hear what lives in my brain_  
_My heart, will you ask for it, for your perusing?_  
_At times confusing, slightly amusing_  
_Introducing me_

_Doo doo, doo doodoodoo to_  
_Doo doo, doo doodoodoo to_  
_La lalala_  
_Lalalalalalalala, da_

Yumi stood up from her seat and walked towards Sachiko. She quickened the beat a little bit then began singing the second verse.

_I never trust a dog to watch my food  
And I like to use to the word "dude"  
As a noun, or an adverb, or an adjective  
And I've never really been into cars  
I like really cool guitars and superheroes  
And checks with lots of zeros on 'em  
I love the sound of violins  
And making someone smile_

_If you wanna know_  
_Here it goes_  
_Gonna tell you this_  
_The part of me that'll show if you're close_  
_Gonna let you see everything_  
_But remember that you asked for it_  
_I'll try to do my best to impress_  
_But it's easier to let you take a guess at the rest_  
_But you wanna hear what lives in my brain_  
_My heart, will you ask for it, for your perusing?_  
_At times confusing, possibly amusing_  
_Introducing me_

_Well, you probably know more than you ever wanted to_  
_So be careful when you ask next time_

_So if you wanna know_  
_Here it goes_  
_Gonna tell you this_  
_The part of me that'll show if you're close_  
_Gonna let you see everything_  
_But remember that you asked for it_  
_I'll try to do my best to impress_  
_But it's easier to let you take a guess at the rest_  
_But you wanna hear what lives in my brain_  
_My heart, will you ask for it, for your perusing?_  
_At times confusing, hopefully amusing_  
_Introducing me_

_Doo doo, doo doodoodoo to_  
_Doo doo, doo doodoodoo to_  
_Doo doodoodoo_

_Introducing me_

Yumi finished the song with one last strum. Sachiko thoroughly enjoyed the show that Yumi had put on for her. _'You're truly amazing, Yumi' _shethought breathlessly as she looked into the eyes of her angel which shined brightly as the last note hung in the air between them.

Sachiko then stood from her seat as the remaining note ebbed away. She smiled down to her angel in a hopefully reassuring manner.

Yumi watched as Sachiko stood from her seat and looked up to her upperclassman quizzically. _'Did she not enjoy the song, I wonder?' _her mind jumped to many unfounded conclusions before it came to an abrupt halt as she heard Sachiko's next words.

"Shall we go?" Sachiko asked as she caught Yumi's attention.

Yumi didn't know what Sachiko was talking about and so she remained silent. Sachiko, sensing Yumi's confusion grow even more, couldn't help but tease the girl. "Oh? Did you forget that you offered your services in our little play?" she asked teasingly as Yumi blushed a cute shade of pink.

Yumi totally forgot about her spur of the moment offer. She looked down at the floor anxiously and mumbled her apologies.

Sachiko had to cover her mouth to contain her laughter as she earned a cute glare from the brunette in pigtails.

"Well, then. Shall we go?" Sachiko repeated as she went out of the door and into the hallway. Yumi quickly followed suit as she grabbed the cleaning log that she needed to turn over to the office.

While on their way towards the teacher's lounge, Sachiko suddenly turned towards the happily humming girl beside her and said "Yumi, thank you for well... giving me a short description of yourself. I enjoyed it very much! Honestly, you have such an amazing voice!"

Yumi looks towards the Rosa Chinensis en bouton's direction, eyes widening in surprise due to the unexpected comment, her face turning an un-humanely shade of crimson as she replied "I-I'm glad you like it, Sachiko-sama. That was what I was aiming for before I started the song" she murmured the last part but Sachiko picked up on the faint voice's last words.

And as the pair continued down the hallway, Sachiko's usually stoic features now had an alluring tint of red, complimenting Yumi's adorably flushed appearance perfectly.

* * *

So how was it? :P hehe sorry, I was kind of sleepy... Anyways, isn't my beta-reader just awesome?! He just wouldn't agree with me... Grrr...

Any review, comment, suggestion, violent reaction and PMs are welcome! :D


	7. Chapter 7

**Shameka: **I'm sorry about that, please forgive me Thank you for the review by the way

**Honulicious: **Thank you! Uhh, me too hahaha I'm having such difficulty writing in that aspect..Maybe because I've never been inlove with anyone and thus haven't felt any jealousy towards anyone hahaha :D

**Elliehandesu: **Thank you Yeah you're absolutely right hahaha I've read that story, so I apologize to the writer for that

**Eragon: **I'm sorry about that Yeah, I did say that Yumi likes Shimako but she didn't confess her feelings to the latter hehe so I guess there's still room for a little twist? And uh I don't think I've mentioned Yumi recognizing her feelings towards Sachiko... I'm sorry yet again if you don't like the story but thank you for your review and honest words, I appreciate it very much :D

**Nyaaaaaaah: **Hmm.. hahaha :D I guess I can? But it's still too early for lemon scenes or such :P thank you for the review ^^

**Claine24: **Pasensya na kababayan.. hahaha busy kasi hahaha :D mabuti naman, mag-ingat ka palagi ha? Hahaha parang mama mo ako ha... :P Thank you for the review ^^

**Orangesora: **:D Yeah, Miracles79 gave me that idea ;) thank you for the review ^^

**G-gril: **Thank you for the review :D Appreciate it very much :D

**FS9: ** Now I'm confused.. Whose side are you on? :P ;)

**Strikien: **Hahaha ok naman ako :D Desperately trying to survive school, I think hahahaha :P thank you for the review!

**Shimakoyumi love: **Sorry for the late update ^^ And thank you for the review :D

Again, I apologize in behalf of my bet-reader, Miracles79. He has been busy for the last few days and so he wasn't able to check on this chapter for awhile now ahahaha :D Anyways, thank you for your effort Miracles79! I really owe you a lot, don't I? :D

Anyhow.. I hope you'll enjoy this other chapter ^_^

* * *

_**Chapter 7**_

* * *

Yumi and Sachiko promptly left the music room with a cute shade of tint on their cheeks, walking side by side as they headed towards the Faculty Room. They were greeted by enthusiastic students that they encountered along the way, offering a warm smile in return. The pair couldn't help but notice that each time they greeted a student with a kind smile; they would quickly rush out of sight and talk with one another excitedly.

A few minutes passed until they finally reached their destination. Yumi opened the door to the faculty room as she went in with Sachiko who followed closely behind.

"Gokigenyou, Sensei. I'm here to turn in the cleaning log." Yumi politely informed after giving her respects to the teacher.

"Oh my, so the rumors are true?" her teacher asked surprised.

Yumi and Sachiko looked at each other quizzically before turning back to their teacher.

"But I thought Yumi-san rejected Ogasawara-san's rosary?" the teacher provided upon seeing the confused looks on the girls' faces.

Realization suddenly dawned on the two of them as to what the teacher was specifically referring to. Sachiko however remained as composed as ever and with a smile she calmly replied "We're sorry to have caused you so much trouble. We will leave it up to your imagination. If you will excuse us? Yumi, shall we?" with that said, Sachiko looked towards Yumi and received a slight nod from the latter in response.

"Gokigenyou, Sensei." Yumi said to her teacher who was left confused as she watched the pair return to the hallway.

"Sachiko-sama…" Yumi started to say but was calmly cut off by Sachiko.

"We don't need to react, you know. The more we do the more ridiculous the rumors will become" Sachiko stated flatly.

"Oh okay…" was all Yumi could say at the moment. She wasn't sure how the older girl could be so calm and composed right now. _'Doesn't anything bother her? So then… why can't I act more like Sachiko-sama, she just takes everything in her stride. It's as if nothing bothers her at all!' _Yumi frowned as she remembered the efforts and lengths the persistent president of the Lillian Kawaraban went to, in the hope of receiving her story.

Every now and then, Sachiko's gaze was drawn to her angel who wasn't aware of the increased attention directed towards her by none other than Sachiko herself. The small frown that crossed Yumi's face never escaped her sharp and inquisitive eyes. _'I wonder what's bothering_ her' She started to wonder what could have caused such a frown to cross Yumi's beautiful features. Her eyes fluttered as her field of vision was engulfed by those oh so tempting lips, lips that she wanted to devour with her own remorselessly. _'I want to taste…' _Sachiko never realized that as soon as they arrived at the foot of the gymnasium's door, she was slowly inching closer to Yumi, her neck arching, as she aimed for the brunette's luscious lips.

Yumi meanwhile was completely oblivious to what was happening around her. Her mind was consumed in her thoughts and frustrations, she was always being chased around by the Lillian Kawaraban, as well as curious students, for one sole reason, because she rejected Sachiko's rosary.

Sachiko was now inches away from her Yumi's lips, unaware that the latter was absentmindedly biting her bottom lip in thought, when suddenly, and in a violent motion, the door of the gymnasium was forcibly opened, revealing Shimako on the other side.

Sachiko, upon hearing the rushed opening of the door, immediately backed away from Yumi. She blushed immensely upon realizing what she was about to do. _'Oh my! I was about to steal a kiss! Wait, no, please tell me Yumi didn't notice'_ Thinking that Yumi might have caught her, Sachiko looked at the brunette in her peripheral vision and released the breath she didn't know she was holding. _'Oh God, thank you!'_She silently thanked the heavens for Yumi's brief lack of attention.

Turning towards Yumi, Sachiko wondered why the girl of her dreams held a dazed and occupied look on her face. _'Yumi, what is it that's bothering you so much?' _Sachiko pondered earnestly before looking towards the intruder of such a promising moment. Her frown set in her features upon seeing the person that interrupted her crucial attempt. _'Urgh! Of all people, why does it have to be her, why did she have to open the door?!' _Sachiko seethed silently as she watched Shimako purposely yet gently manoeuver Yumi away from her. She suddenly felt her body tense up after she looked around and saw everyone's faces. She was fighting hard not to sport a blush as she became aware of her earlier predicament.

* * *

Shimako felt a familiar presence nearby as she was practicing her lines for the play she was to participate in. Ignoring the others, she walked towards the nearby door as if her heart was instructing her to do so, as she prepared herself for a shocking sight.

Sei watched Shimako walking towards the door and before she could stop the latter's progress, she felt a hand tug her shoulders. She looked towards Youko who was wearing a goofy smile on her face. She studied her fellow rose's expression before a sly grin formed on her own lips. "Don't tell me, Yumi's on the other side of the door?" Sei asked her companion in a hushed tone. The question caused Youko to smile even more. "And Shimako can sense that?" Sei asked disbelievingly. Seeing the nod from Youko, Sei returned her attention to her cousin who was already at the foot of the door. "This sure is getting interesting" she said a little bit excitedly.

The occupants of the room watched silently as Shimako approached the door. Yoshino, being the completely dense person that she is, became frustrated because she didn't understand why the other occupants of the room came to an abrupt stop upon seeing Shimako walk towards the door. As she looked towards her cousin, her frustration grew.

Never in her life did Yoshino feel that she was left behind. Her anger and frustration momentarily got the better of her, as she aggressively asked her cousin, Rei, in a somewhat demanding tone "Onee-sama, what is going on here? How come everyone is so intrigued by what Shimako is doing? She is just about to open the door of the entrance, is she not?"

Rei looked at her petite seour with a disbelieving look. _'I never thought she was__**this**__ dense'. _Despite Rei's disbelief to Yoshino's cluelessness, she smiled warmly and replied "You'll see. Something tells me we're about to see something rather interesting"

Yoshino, hearing her cousin and Onee-sama's reply couldn't help but become more perplexed. _'What is she talking about?!_' her mind screamed in irritation. _'What's so interesting about a door?!' _Yoshino was about to speak up again when she saw Shimako open the gymnasium's door and was left speechless by the sight in front of her.

* * *

Everyone present tried their best to hold in their surprised gasps that were threatening to be released into such a delicate situation. They were expecting to see Sachiko on the other side of the door with Yumi tagging along side her. It's just that never in their wildest dreams did they imagine that they would witness the Ice Princess of Lillian attempting to steal a kiss from the obviously out-of-this-world and completely dazed, cute and energetic Yumi. They saw Sachiko tense up a little and she was clearly trying her best to hide the blush that was threatening to show up.

Seeing what Sachiko was about to do to _**her**_ Yumi, Shimako froze as her body remained as limp as a statue. She quickly recovered from her shock and instinctively took a hold of Yumi's hand, pulling Yumi purposely away from Sachiko. Shimako saw Yumi come back to reality and didn't fail to notice that the said girl was sporting a rather endearing blush. _'She's too cute!' _Shimako thought. She intertwined their fingers and was rewarded by Yumi's charming smile.

Yumi, completely oblivious of what just happened around her, was brought back out of her reverie when she felt a hand tug her rather forcefully yet tenderly. She looked to her right, sensing a familiar presence nearby, and saw Shimako looking back at her. Yumi felt her cheeks burning as she realized who she was with. _'Shimako!'_ her mind screamed happily. She then felt Shimako intertwine their fingers. Yumi was happy by the show of affection and offered Shimako what she hoped was her most charming smile.

Sachiko witnessed the little yet sweet exchange of actions between the two and couldn't help but feel a flicker of pain in her chest. _'Oh how I wish that smile would be directed towards me too. Why is she a recipient of such a smile?!_' Sachiko thought bitterly, jealousy obviously filling her, as she gave Shimako a stern glare.

Shimako, who was distracted from Yumi momentarily, felt a piercing stare directly behind her. She immediately knew who it was and turned towards Sachiko's and gave her a challenging yet confident smile. _'Is that all you've got? If that's the case, you'll never steal her away from me'_

Yumi couldn't help but feel the tense, almost strained atmosphere within her surroundings. She looked towards Shimako who was currently glaring at Sachiko._ 'Why is Shimako giving Sachiko-sama that kind of look?' _she thought, confused. She didn't exactly understand it but decided to let it go._ 'I shouldn't get involved, I wouldn't be of any help to them' _Yumi inwardly thought as she heaved out an inaudible sigh.

Eriko, the current Rosa Foetida, snickered upon seeing the interactions that were currently unfolding before their very eyes. _'Sachiko sure is scary when she's jealous' _she mused as she glanced towards the raven-haired girl. _'I wonder just how dense could she be' _she thought amusingly as she shifted her gaze towards the completely confused brunette. _'Now I see why they like her so much'_ was the single thought the three Head Roses had as they saw the expression on Yumi's face. _'She's way too cute when she looks like that!' _they all thought in unison.

Eriko then looked towards her fellow roses, Sei and Youko, and smiled brightly upon seeing their responses. She turned towards the shocked students and clapped her hands to get their attention. Getting the response that she wanted, she smiled mischievously and said "As much as I am enjoying this little performance, may we get back to practicing our lines inthe script now?"

After Eriko's declaration, the students immediately went back to practicing their lines; all, except three certain beauties. The three girls were red all over. Eriko saw the fore-mentioned girls giving her a dangerous glare._ 'Ohh, scary…'_she winked back at them, giving the three a sly smile. She then walked towards where Youko and Sei were.

Sei gave her a mischievous grin while Youko just sighed and shrugged her shoulders, although the latter was enjoying this new side of Sachiko's. Sachiko rarely showed emotion in public but Youko was thoroughly content to see her Petite Soeur displaying her jealousy out in the open, no matter how hard she tried to hide this fact from the group. "You really are something, Eriko" the two said in synch, each having a different kind of tone in their statement. Eriko just gave her two best friends a wide grin.

Rei saw from a distance the mischievous glint that was sparkling from her Onee-sama's eyes. She sighed as a disturbing thought came to mind _'She sure is enjoying this. I just hope she isn't thinking of doing something weird'_

After the three girls recovered from their embarrassment, they immediately took the scripts handed to them by one of the students and immediately started practicing their respective lines.

Sachiko walked past the students and made her way to her designated area. For now, she had been able to adequately hide her anger and the threatening blush from resurfacing as she saw the looks her Onee-sama, Sei and Eriko directed towards her. They were watching her intently and amusingly. _'I wonder what's going on in that head of theirs' _she shuddered at the thought that the three might be planning something undeniably weird.

* * *

Yumi let out an audible sigh early the next morning. She stopped in front of the glorious, ivory statue of the Virgin Mary and prayed wholeheartedly that nothing embarrassing happened the day before after that awkward entrance._'Maria-sama, I know that you are always watching over us so I hope you will help us with the play we are about to do. Gokigenyou…' _She slowly opened her eyes and marveled at the beautiful statue before her. She smiled brightly as she was off to her class.

'_I wonder what I missed yesterday, though' _Yumi mused as the thought of the awkward entrance plagued her mind. _'I feel as if I missed something incredibly embarrassing. As if Sachiko-sama was about to do something to…'_ Yumi hastily shook her head after thinking that Sachiko might have done something to catch everyone's attention. _'Shimako looked so annoyed as well. Now I'm really wondering if it had something to do with me and Sachiko-sama'_ she shrugged her shoulders and heaved out a sigh of defeat. _'But it is impossible to think that Sachiko-sama let her guard down. Well in any case, I don't want to remember it'_

"Gokigenyou…" Yumi greeted as she opened the door of her classroom. She was about to make her way to her desk when she was caught off guard by the approaching swarm of her classmates gathering around her. They bombarded her with an untold amount of questions, eagerness completely evident in their eyes.

"Yumi-san, is it true?" she heard one of her classmates ask eagerly.

"Yes, is it really true, Yumi-san?" another asked her.

'_What are they talking about?' _pondered Yumi, confused. She became thoughtful as she pondered the possible reasons why her classmates were acting so excited so early in the morning. Coming up empty handed in her thinking, she sighed as she dumbly asked "I'm sorry, but what are you talking about?"

Seeing Yumi's incredibly cute puzzled face, the girls couldn't help but squeal in delight. _'So adorable!' _their minds screamed. "We're talking about your participation in the play the Yamayurikai are putting up. Well, is it true, Yumi-san?" one of the girls answered Yumi's question.

Realization immediately settled in Yumi's puzzled mind as soon as the girl uttered her answer, she replied "Oh yes, that's right. I am a part of the play"

The girls talked with excitement after Yumi's affirmation. "Really, Yumi-san? What's your role in the play?" one asked in an excited manner.

Yumi lightly shrugged her shoulders as she said "Oh, I'm just one of the dancers and back-up roles"

The girls talked with one another more as they became more and more interested to see Yumi act and dance. They couldn't help but imagine how the cute brunette would look like in a prince's costume. After that thought came to mind, the girls practically squealed leaving the person in front of them even more confused, Yumi.

Yumi just couldn't understand her classmates sometimes. _'I wonder what they are thinking about now' _Yumi's musings were cut short as she heard one of the girls ask another question.

"But Yumi-san, how come you are in the play?" the girl with green eyes and her hair tied in braids asked with curiosity.

"Excuse me?" was all Yumi could say, confusion once again storming her head.

"I mean, you did reject Sachiko-sama's rosary, did you not? So how come you're participating in the play?" the girl elaborated her question.

"Yeah, that's right. It does make us wonder, since we are very much aware that you rejected Sachiko-sama" the other girls joined in.

Yumi was completely taken aback by the question. She did not expect this. _'Okay, just relax Yumi'_ she began to tell herself _'Just remember what your teachers told you when you were younger. A proper lady always remains calm, no matter what the situation may be. Come to think of it, it's somewhat related to what Sachiko-sama told me yesterday'_ unknown to Yumi, a small smile crept to her face upon remembering Sachiko's advice. _'That's right. She said…' _"I'm sorry to have caused so much trouble. You are correct, I am participating in the play but it is not related to Sachiko-sama at all. I am participating on my own free will" Yumi replied. "And besides, I'm sure Sachiko-sama does not intend to make me her Petite Seour. I'm sure this is all a big mi-misunderstanding" she finished, suddenly feeling shattered towards the end of her statement.

Before any of the girls could ask yet another question, the teacher entered the classroom and instructed the class to take their seats. Yumi, and the curious classmates, followed their teacher's instructions obediently.

Throughout the whole discussion, Yumi's mind began to wander again, about an issue that had plagued her mind for a while now. _'That's right, I was just a lucky first year who just happened to be around' _she thought. She could not explain what she was feeling after that thought came to mind. She felt her heart sink and her body become weaker. She wanted to breakdown. She wanted to forget about that day and forget about the tears she shed afterwards. _'Why do I feel this way every time I think about that rejection? What is wrong with me!'_ her mind growled in frustration as an obvious frown formed upon her lips.

She pushed the disturbing thought away though as she felt someone looking towards her direction. As she turned around, brown orbs met with gray ones. Yumi's frown immediately vanished as it was replaced with a smile upon meeting Shimako's gaze. Yumi saw concern in her angel's eyes. She quickly scolded herself for making Shimako worry. Yumi shook her head saying she was fine as she flashed Shimako a reassuring smile. Yumi then turned her attention back to the teacher who was busy explaining the Laws of Physics.

* * *

As she entered the room, Shimako saw Yumi being surrounded by her classmates. The green-eyed monster inside of her was acting up again. She wanted so badly to snatch Yumi away from the squealing and blushing girls; but reprimanded herself. She knew well that disturbing somebody else's conversation is not fitting of a young lady and so she calmly proceeded to her seat. Once seated though, she carefully examined Yumi's facial expressions. She saw it turn from confusion to realization, back to confusion then to shock. She giggled softly as she thought the same thing that everyone in the class was thinking _'So adorable' _Shimako then saw one of the girls ask a question, much to Yumi's surprise.

She saw the sadness and hurt in those brown orbs that she had come to love and adore. _'I wonder what's wrong'_ she mused worriedly as she noticed Yumi's struggle. She saw Yumi's lips move, answering the girls' questions. Before the girls could ask more though, the teacher came in and ushered them to take their seats. Much to Yumi and Shimako's delight.

Even after the teacher has started her lessons, Shimako continued to observe Yumi carefully. _'She's deep in thought. I wonder what that question was. Is it somewhat related to Yumi's current condition right now?'_ Shimako thought hard. She analyzed any theory she could come up with as to what could have caused Yumi's behavior. She then fixed her gaze towards the brunette and saw Yumi looking towards her. _'Maybe she sensed me?'_ her heart soared in joy at this sweet revelation, knowing Yumi could sense her as she could too.

Shimako silently let Yumi know that she was worried about her and that she would always be there whenever Yumi needed her. She noticed Yumi lightly shaking her head and responds with a reassuring smile. She nodded her head as she too returned her attention to the teacher. Shimako knew that something was troubling her angel but she will let it slide for now.

* * *

Classes ended, and Sachiko was hurriedly packing up her things.

"What's the rush there, Sachiko?" she heard her friend, Rei ask calmly. Sachiko, on the other hand, knew that her friend was enjoying herself, based on the tone she heard Rei ask with. She slowly took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She still wasn't able to recover from the embarrassment she felt after being caught by everybody in the play, when she tried to steal a kiss from Yumi.

She was also thankful that Yumi was so caught up in her thoughts that the latter didn't notice her bold actions. She slowly turned around, ready to take on the teasing gaze of her friend. Sachiko replied in her usual calm, serious self "If we don't hurry, we will surely be late for rehearsals"

Rei snickered and replied in an equally serious tone, although her eyes were gleaming in mischief "What are you talking about, Sachiko? The rehearsals don't start till fifteen minutes. We still have plenty of time, don't you think so?"

"I know that, Rei. I just…" Sachiko halted mid-way. She's not sure if she should continue her statement or not. Noticing the teasing gaze of her best friend, Sachiko averted her gaze from Rei. _'Urgh, I bet she's enjoying this so much…' _she thought, a little bit annoyed.

"You just can't wait to see a cute, pig-tailed brunette, can you?" Rei asked much to Sachiko's dismay.

Sachiko stood rigidly as she straightened her already straight posture. She could not believe Rei would dare ask her that, then again, it's Rei we're talking about here. Sachiko is fully aware that her friend could read her well. Judging by that silly smile on her friend's face, Sachiko knows full well Rei is also aware she hit the head on the nail.

Rei couldn't help but giggle as she saw Sachiko tense up and blush after she said those words._ 'I'm thankful Yumi came into our lives, Sachiko. I wonder if we hadn't met Yumi, would I have been able to see this side of you?' _she asked herself.

Sachiko glared at Rei who was completely ignoring her. Sachiko huffed as she walked by her giggling friend.

Rei felt guilty and stopped laughing. She followed Sachiko towards the gymnasium, but that does not mean she will let this rare opportunity pass by. The chance of teasing the Ice Princess was to good an opportunity to pass up.

* * *

Everyone greeted the giggling Rosa Foetida en bouton and the seemingly annoyed and blushing Rosa Chinensis en bouton. The three Head Roses gave one another a knowing look and decided to help Sachiko escape from Rei's teasing, for now.

"Alright, now that the Princess is here," Youko started to say as she looked towards Sachiko who nodded her head in understanding "Shall we practice the dance now?"

The people present paired up with each other. Sachiko paired up with Rei, seeing as the Prince was not around. Soon enough, the music filled the whole gymnasium.

Yumi stood at the corner of the gym as she came in late due to her cleaning duties. She watched in awe as each student danced gracefully to the beat of the music. But what caught her attention most of all was how beautifully Sachiko danced with Rei.

"Beautiful, don't you agree?" Yumi heard Youko ask. Yumi hummed and nodded her head in response. Sachiko did look like a princess; she danced with such femininity, such poise.

"She learned how to dance when she was young. Born with the Ogasawara name, Sachiko was always taught how to act as a proper lady. Before she became my Petite Seour, she always attended lessons. I got tired just seeing her from afar and so after I became her Onee-sama, I forced her to quit those suffocating lessons" Youko said as she glanced towards Yumi briefly.

Seeing the questioning look from the brunette, she continued "I gave her a lot of work to do for the Yamayurikai. It was the only way I could get her to quit. I was glad that it worked and she started to open up a little bit. But you know what, Yumi-chan? Ever since you came, we were able to witness different sides of Sachiko, sides we never knew she had. It's all thanks to you. So, I'm very grateful for what you did" Youko finished her statement with a gentle smile as the music faded away. She turned towards the others and gave her remarks.

Yumi watched as Youko gave her insights and impressions on the dance. _'Amazing! She was having a deep conversation with me and yet she is still able to give her remarks' _Yumi thought in awe. _'I wonder what she meant though. I never did anything to change Sachiko-sama. All I did was hurt her' _she thought sadly. Yumi's inner thoughts were cut off though as she felt hands on her shoulders.

"What are you doing here in the corner, Yu-mi-chan?" Sei said playfully as she trapped Yumi in an embrace, earning glares from both Sachiko and her usually loving cousin, Shimako.

"Wh-what do you mean, Rosa Gigantea?" Yumi stammered as she was trying to refocus after the surprising question and action.

"Why aren't you dancing, of course? You won't be able to learn the steps if you'll just stay here in the corner, if you know what I mean?" Sei continued to playfully say as Yumi's cheeks were red with embarrassment.

"I-I came in late. That's why I wasn't able to join in earlier" Yumi retorted. She felt her whole body heating up knowing that the attention of the whole group was once again on her.

"Oh, really now?" Sei raised an eyebrow to Yumi's words as a brilliant idea came into her mind, she then suggested "Since you were able to witness a few dance steps, how about you give us a little sample?"

Yumi gulped as she moved herself away from Sei's grasp. She couldn't bear seeing the scary looks she and Sei were getting from Sachiko and Shimako. "Al-alright, then" Yumi awkwardly executed some of the steps she saw while talking with Youko.

The girls were trying their best to suppress their giggles. The awkwardly dancing Yumi was too much to bear. She was cute but at the same time funny to look at.

"Yumi, you're doing it all wrong. You have to move freely and be more relaxed. See? It's not that hard" Sachiko reprimanded, as she was able to recover from the cute scene that was now permanently engraved in her mind. She danced in front of Yumi gracefully. She also told the latter to be calmer in order to dance well. "Now, you do it" Sachiko instructed.

Yumi did as she was told but to no avail. She still was not able to recover from Sei's words and the sight of Sachiko dancing gracefully in front of her even without a partner. Yumi swayed like a robot after being told by Sachiko to do it. Now, Yumi's face had a full blown blush as the other occupants were giggling softly.

Tired of the interactions between Sachiko and Yumi, Shimako stepped forward and in between fits of giggles asked "Yumi-san, why are you so stiff? The dance is a simple waltz. I'm pretty sure you are aware of it" Shimako interjected after her giggling settled down. She couldn't help it; Yumi is too cute for her own good.

Yumi immediately froze in her place. _'Waltz? It's just a__simple waltz?_' She wanted so badly to slap herself on the face. She didn't know what had gotten into her, dancing terribly like that._ 'If Sensei were here, I'm sure I'll receive a mouthful' _she giggled a little bit, imagining her Sensei's reaction. Yumi smirked, suddenly remembering Shimako's talent for dancing. _'Hmm, I wonder if Shimako…'_ "Oh? Is that so? I believe I am not aware of that dance, My Lady. Could you perhaps teach me how to do it?" Yumi playfully remarked as she bowed her head. She and Shimako were now in the center of the stage.

Shimako was taken aback by Yumi's gestures. "But you…" she started to retort but stopped as she saw the wink Yumi gave her. She smiled and bowed in return "Why, of course not"

The laughter died down as the occupants in the room gave their full attention to the exchange between Yumi and Shimako.

Sei, Youko, Eriko, Rei and Yoshino were not only intently watching Yumi and Shimako's display but also Sachiko's reaction towards it. They saw Sachiko solely focusing as to what the two girls in the center of the stage were going to do.

"Yoshino, may I ask of you to play the music without the singers' voices, please?" Shimako gently asked.

Yoshino, upon hearing her name, complied with her friend's simple request although she wasn't sure as to why Shimako doesn't want the audio to be on.

As the music started to play, and as it did so Shimako opened her mouth to sing the first verse, her mind, heart and body filled by the beautiful, caring entity known as Fukuzawa Yumi.

_**Take my hand, take a breath**_

Shimako sang as she extended her hand for Yumi to take, in which the latter gladly did and in turn took a deep breath.

_**Pull me close and take one step**_

Yumi gently pulled Shimako close as she looked towards their feet's direction as she took one step.

_**Keep your eyes locked on mine**_

Shimako sang as she gently brought Yumi's face up with her fingertips as she gazed into Yumi's mocha brown eyes while tenderly stroking Yumi's fragrant hair.

_**And let the music be your guide.**_

Shimako then guided Yumi's hand to their right places, one on the side of her body while the other was holding her right hand as Shimako's left hand laid on Yumi's left shoulder. Yumi then joined Shimako in singing as their feet rocked back and forth with the music's beat.

_**Won't you promise me? **_

Shimako sang in between Yumi's line as she smiled.

_**(Now won't you promise me, that you'll never forget?)  
We'll keep dancing (to keep dancing) wherever we go  
next**_

The two of them continued with their waltz as they turned around with Yumi lifting Shimako up once in a while in the air briefly, and putting her down gently. They sang in unison.

_**It's like catching lightning, the chances of finding  
someone like you**_

They sat down on the bench that was placed there during the practice earlier. Yumi stood up and sat at the other side of Shimako as the latter stood up and was being twirled by Yumi. Shimako then sat down and was twirled by Yumi again.

_**It's one in a million, the chances of feeling the way  
we do**_

Yumi then stood up and pulled Shimako to her feet while standing on the bench. Yumi then stood on the bench with her and the two waltzed before Yumi twirled Shimako. Yumi jumped off from the bench as Shimako turned around by herself while Yumi was looking up at her and her looking down towards Yumi.

_**And with every step together, we just keep on getting  
better**_

Shimako bent towards Yumi as the latter leaned onto her for Shimako's support. Shimako twirled on the bench as Yumi walked along in her direction. Shimako then wrapped her left arm around Yumi's neck as she bent down with one foot up in the air as she was looking up towards Yumi and Yumi down at her, serving as support.

_**So can I have this dance (can I have this dance)  
Can I have this dance?**_

Yumi lifted Shimako out from the bench and twirled with Shimako in her hands. They twirled and twirled and twirled with their feet perfectly in synch with each other.

_**Oh no mountains too high and no, oceans too wide  
'Cause together or not, our dance won't stop**_

Shimako twirled in one spot and extended her body as Yumi perfectly-timed placing her arm on Shimako's back for the latter's support. Yumi then twirled Shimako into her embrace. Shimako got out from Yumi's comforting embrace as Yumi turned Shimako around in one place with their feet together.

_**Let it rain, let it pour  
What we have is worth fighting for  
You know I believe, that we were meant to be**_

They held each other lovingly before separating in either way with their hand extended on their own side. They ran a short distance gracefully as Shimako twirled about before meeting with Yumi once again. They twirled together two times before Yumi let go of Shimako as the latter turned on her own.

_**It's like catching lightning, the chances of finding  
someone like you (like you)**_

Yumi then stood up in the bench and extended her arm for Shimako to take. Shimako gladly took the hand and climbed up the bench. As Shimako reached halfway from her ascent, Yumi started to descend as she looked up into Shimako's gaze. Shimako bent her body down as she brought one leg up. Yumi slowly turned around the bench.

_**It's one in a million, the chances of feeling the way  
we do (way we do)**_

Yumi then carried Shimako up bridal style and put her down after twirling around two times. They waltzed and gazed into each other's eyes.

_**And with every step together, we just keep on getting  
better**_

They twirled, both supporting the other with their weight. Yumi then twirled Shimako about as their gaze met once again. The music then came to an end.

_**So can I have this dance (can I have this dance)  
Can I have this dance?  
Can I have this dance?  
Can I have this dance?**_

Needless to say, as Yumi and Shimako stopped dancing, the whole group stared at them with their mouth a little bit agape.

Yumi and Shimako became conscious of their surroundings and stared back at the group. Heat started to creep in their faces as they saw their companion's expressions.

"Woah?!" was all that was heard from the group after several minutes of staring at the two blushing girls. And it came from no other than Yoshino.

* * *

I really don't know if you guys fully understood the dancing part hahaha :D Honestly, I don't dance :P

Anyhow, thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoyed this chapter? :D Please review or maybe even PM me if you don't understand anything. I'll answer it to the best of my abilities, but I won't promise any sensible answers if your question/s is about the dance :P


	8. Chapter 8

Hello, dear reader! I'm sorry if I haven't updated for a long time, specifically this story. To be honest, I was having a hard time on writing this chapter and so I rewrote the original eighth chapter. Again, I'm really, really sorry for updating so late and I completely understand if you won't read this story ever again.

Once again, this chapter could not have been possible without the help of my wonderful beta-reader, **Mircacles79**. Thank you very much!

**Guest: **Suki-chan, is it? I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to upset you or anything. This chapter was really hard to make and my beta-reader had problems so I had to wait for him Again, I apologize.

**And as for the rest of the ones who left a review, thank you so much! It means a lot to me. Thank you!** **:D**

**DISCLAIMER**: I know I've said this before but I'll say it again, I do not own Maria-sama ga Miteru.

* * *

_**Chapter 8**_

* * *

The sun shone brightly in the sky, birds are chirping their early morning song, and maids busied themselves with their respective tasks at hand. To simply put it, it was another ordinary yet beautiful day in the Ogasawara Mansion.

"Hannah-chan I've been wondering, where is Sachiko? It's already six in the morning. She should be awake for school by now" Ogasawara Sayako asked one of the maids as the latter started walking alongside her, but not before offering a customary greeting.

"I believe she is still in her room, Mistress Sayako. I was there awhile ago to wake thy Lady up, but it seems she doesn't want to go to school" the young maiden politely replied.

Sayako nodded her head in understanding. She bid her goodbye and made her way to Sachiko's room. If Sayako was confused, she didn't dare show it in her features.

'_I wonder what's wrong with her. I hope she's not sick'_ Sayako brusquely walked the elegant hallway of the Mansion towards Sachiko's room as she thought of the worst possibilities as to why her daughter doesn't want to get up.

After a few minutes of expertly maneuvering her way, Sayako finally reached the foot of Sachiko's bedroom door. She raised her hand up and gently knocked on the obstructing object. "Sachiko honey, are you not feeling well?"

* * *

A figure slowly stirred on the majestic king-sized bed as she heard a faint yet gentle knock on her door. The said figure turned to her right, hopeful that the annoying sound would go away.

"Miss Sachiko, it's time to wake up. You'll be late for school. Miss Sachiko?" Kirai Hannah said nervously. It was still early in the morning and so the young maiden doesn't want to receive the ever-famous scolding of the Ogasawara heiress. The poor maid was so nervous in fact that her hands and feet were shaking and sweating. "Uhm…" She was about to knock again when she heard a loud grunt on the other side of the door and the words "Go away!"

"But Miss, you'll be late for school…" the maid reasoned out.

Ogasawara Sachiko was now slowly losing the last thread of patience she had left for the ever so persistent house help. She abruptly stood up from the warm mattresses of her bed and calmly stated "I'm sorry. But please go away. I don't want to go to school. Now if you don't mind?"

A few moments of silence before the heiress heard a hesitant answer from the maid "A-as you wish Miss. Now if you'll excuse me. Have a good day, Miss Sachiko" then the girl slowly walked away.

As Sachiko was sure the fading footsteps of the maid was gone, she flopped herself down on her bed. She didn't care how unladylike it was, she just wants to lay on her bed the whole day and for the first time in her life, miss school. Her eyes then started to droop slowly and not a moment too soon, sleep once again claimed the blunette beauty.

_Everyone in the room, she herself included, stared in awe at the two dancing Lillian-uniformed students on stage. Their movements were perfectly in synch that anyone could easily mistake them for longtime dancing partners. One of them had blonde hair and angelic features. Any man or woman, who had the honor of meeting her for the first time, would be left staring at her Western doll-like beauty. She had alluring gray eyes that emphasized how unique she really was. But she could care less about the blonde beauty for she was intently staring at the latter's dance partner. The other girl had auburn hair and cuteness like no other. Although there's no doubt she fell prey for this girl's cuteness and caring personality, the feature she loves the most is her honest mocha eyes. Every time she looks at those orbs, she couldn't help but feel secured and loved. And staring at her beloved dancing with her greatest rival-Toudou Shimako -made her jealousy meter run up high. But amidst the feeling of envy, she couldn't help but stare dreamily at none other than Fukuzawa Yumi. Due to her immense focus on Yumi alone, Sachiko missed the concerned yet surprised look of her Onee-sama and the current Rosa Chinensis, Mizuno Youko._

_As the music started and when Shimako started singing with Yumi, Youko felt concern for her petite soeur. She knew just how much Sachiko has grown fond of the cute brunette and the tension between her and Shimako is growing every passing minute. 'And this dance is making it worse' she remorsefully added in her mind. 'I hope Sachiko's alright though' with that thought, she looked towards her soeur's direction and expected to see an agitated Rosa Chinensis en bouton. But to her shock, more so her surprise, Youko saw a dreamy expression on Sachiko's features instead of an irritated one.'Wha…' Saying that she was utterly confused would be the understatement of the year. She was beyond shocked and at the same time surprised and confused. In other words, the great Mizuno Youko was feeling incredibly lost at the moment and so all she could do was stare at Sachiko._

"_Hey Youko, aren't they great?" Satou Sei, the cheerful Rosa Gigantea said while looking at her fellow Rose. The strange thing is Youko was staring at Sachiko. 'That's odd. And I wanted to see her smile too' the yellow Rose couldn't contain the blush which appeared on her cheeks as that certain thought came to mind. She intently looked towards Youko's direction as she hopefully wished for the latter to look her way and bless her with that breathtaking smile of hers._

_Torii Eriko, the current Rosa Foetida and Hasekura Rei and Shimazu Yoshino's soeur, felt something was off during the display. She focused her attention towards her right and saw the most peculiar scene she had ever witnessed within the walls of Lillian's gymnasium. She saw Sei dreamily looking at Youko who seemed too focused on her petite soeur to seem to notice a certain blonde throwing daggers at her back and at the end of the staring contest was Sachiko who seemed to be irritated but at the same time pleased while looking at the stage. This time, Eriko joined in the "contest" but wasn't directly looking at someone in particular. Yes, she stared, but at the three people in total who were like complete idiots at the moment. She grinned mischievously._

_Rei noticed her Onee-sama's aura. She looked towards her direction and a single drop of sweat trickled down her cheeks. Eriko had such a devious grin plastered upon her lips that it sent unpleasant chills down her spine. She searched for her cousin in the crowd. And as Rei found Yoshino, she whispered into her ear while mainly focusing on the two seemingly distracted girls "What's going on? Why does Onee-sama have such a wicked expression looking at…? Wait… Is that Sei-sama looking dreamily at Youko-sama? And why does Youko-sama seem worried?" _

_Silence…_

_A few seconds passed yet still there was no response coming from Yoshino. Rei got curious as to why her adored cousin was not responding to her, since Yoshino was always the type to butt into other people's business. 'No wonder she's not responding' she thought as she sighed inwardly. Yoshino was too busy watching and adoring the performance that she completely missed what her Onee-sama had just asked. And because of the kid at heart that she is, Yoshino had an expression that showed much adoration to the two dancing girls. 'She's too cute for her own good!' Rei's mind screamed as she quickly diverted her attention back to the matter at hand before she could commit something bold and embarrassing right there and then._

_Rei then turned her attention towards Youko's source of interest and was in for a shock. She saw Sachiko staring dreamily at the stage; and it seemed as if she was rather pleased with what she was seeing. Rei then looked towards the stage and finally understood why Sachiko was not paying any attention to her surroundings, all except a cute brunette who was quite oblivious to the hungry look Sachiko was throwing, solely in her direction. 'Wow Sachiko. Now I really don't know if I should be concerned or scared for Yumi-chan's sake' she chuckled lightly before deciding to leave Sachiko alone for now and just enjoy the show. 'After all, whoever said I can't tease her about this later?' she thought deviously as she sought ways on how she could tease her fellow Rose and best friend._

_Sachiko, meanwhile, was gradually being consumed in a spell; a spell so powerful that she can't help but become lost in it. The orchestrator of such a spell was none other than the auburn beauty, Yumi. She noticed how graceful the latter was that it was quite a challenge not to stare and daydream. Yes, she was aware of what she was doing and she was very much conscious of being watched curiously by her Onee-sama. 'Geez Onee-sama, quit staring at me. Why don't you pay attention to a certain blonde behind you?' The heiress made a quick sideways glance towards Sei. 'I swear if glares can melt, my Onee-sama would have been a puddle of goo by now, Sei-sama'. The blunette heaved out a slightly audible sigh as she refocused her attention back to the now twirling Yumi and Shimako. She noticed the look of adoration on the former's face while looking at the latter. 'I wonder how it would feel like dancing with her. I'm sure it would feel absolutely incredible. Look just how flexible and graceful she is. Oh Yumi, how I wish you would look at me with such eyes too'_

_Suddenly, everything went black around her. 'Wait. What just happened? Why did it turn dark all of a sudden?' She could feel her heart beat erratically as she was becoming nervous of what was about to happen. Sachiko was not usually scared of the dark; but this one was different. It felt as if something bad was going to happen, as if someone would not come to her rescue. 'Oh please Maria-sama; please send someone for my aid'. And right on cue, like her silent plea was heard, she felt someone grab a hold of her hand. That certain person had a grip that was tight yet gentle, as if giving her reassurance that she wasn't alone._

"_What are you doing? Being alone in the dark like this?" she heard him whisper into her ear. The voice was kind, soft and gentle. She felt her hand being tugged towards a lighted area; but she didn't mind. In fact, she was completely alright following the directions of a person she can't even see the face of. 'It's strange. I feel as if I can trust this person. Hey, who are you?' Sachiko thought as they neared the only source of light in this strange and dark place._

"_Don't worry. We're almost there" the mystery person said which earned a hum from Sachiko._

_A few moments later, as they reached their destination, Sachiko could make out the appearance of her savior. 'They look awfully familiar…' she thought as more significant features of the person were revealed. 'Wait a minute… Auburn hair tied in pigtails? No, it couldn't be!' and before she had time to register the person's appearance, Sachiko saw the all too familiar figure move and turn to face her, the sight left her speechless. 'Y-Yumi?!' The said pig-tailed girl smiled adorably. Sachiko saw how Yumi held out her hand and said "May I have this dance, Sachiko-sama?"_

"_I would love to" came Sachiko's calm reply, although inside, her heart was beating fast and her mind dizzy from all the excitement. They started to sway a little bit as they then twirled. They were slowly dancing the waltz._

"_Is something the matter, Sachiko-sama?" the young brunette said to the overly quiet Sachiko._

"_Mnm…" Sachiko said while swaying her head from left to right._

"_Well it doesn't seem like it. Are you sure?" Yumi asked once again, concern showing in her eyes._

_Sachiko smiled upon noticing the concerned look Yumi gave her. 'She's really a kind-hearted person' she thought as she noted the two of them stopped their dance. She parted her lips and said "Yes, I'm positive that I'm fine"_

Suddenly a knocking sound came and made the subconscious Sachiko to stir on her bed.

"_What's that?" asked Yumi._

"_Sachiko honey, are you not feeling well?"_

'_I know that voice!' Sachiko's mind screamed upon recognizing the voice of her mother. 'More importantly, what is she doing here in school?'_

_Just then, the school grounds shook. Sachiko and Yumi were both petrified. "Maybe it's an earthquake" the former heard the latter say as Yumi grabbed hold of Sachiko's hand "Let's get out of here, Sachiko-sama"_

"Sachiko, I'm coming in" Sayako declared upon not hearing a single reply from her daughter. She turned the knob around and went inside. Once in, she gently but securely locked the door from behind. She silently walked towards Sachiko's sleeping form and shook her a little. "Sachiko, it's time to wake up"

_Yumi and Sachiko, with their hands still intertwined, ran as the ground shook even more violently. They heard a voice declaring Sachiko to wake up. "Who's that?" Yumi asked while pulling a trailing Sachiko with her. They looked around but couldn't find anyone amidst the crowd of horrified and running Lillian students. "I don't know; but let's get out of here" was Sachiko's worried reply._

"Sachiko, please wake up or you'll be late for school" Sayako found herself quickly losing patience once again, as she shook Sachiko's apparent sleeping form harder.

_As they ran faster, the ground right in front of Yumi suddenly cracked in half. The unsuspecting brunette quickly tried her best to stop in her tracks; but alas, luck was not on their side today. Sachiko, not expecting the sudden change of momentum, bumped into the heavily breathing Yumi and found themselves falling down into a dark pit. Luckily, Yumi was able to grab hold of the tip of the ground above them with her right hand and held securely unto Sachiko's wrist with her left hand. "Sachiko! I've got you! Don't worry! I got you! Please just don't let go"_

_Hearing Yumi speak of her given name with no honorifics was pure bliss resounding in her ears. 'Yumi called me Sachiko! She called me by__my name and she's worried for me!' her heart was beating so fast from the spark of the moment that she thought she'd die right there of a heart attack. Sachiko didn't even notice she was crying until Yumi incredulously looked at her and asked "Why are you crying Sachiko-sama? Are you hurt?"_

"_No, I'm perfectly fine" Sachiko reassured her love by smiling at her, blue orbs shining in merriment._

"_If you say so, but please hold unto me tight" Yumi answered, equally mirroring the smile she had received from her upperclassman._

Sayako sighed as she rubbed her temples and thought _'I've got to hand it to her; she could surely sleep as heavy as a brick.' _At this moment, she was infuriated but at the same time amused._ 'I don't ever recall anyone in her bloodline who could sleep this soundly before' _She looked around, trying to find some ways in waking up her heavy-sleeping daughter. She tried, for one last time, to shake rather violently Sachiko's body. It was quite out of character for her; but then again, if it regards Sachiko, Sayako's inner demon comes out.

"_Sachiko-sama, I'll try to toss you to safety so please trust me on this, okay?"_

_Sachiko nodded her head to Yumi's statement to say that she perfectly understood and trusted the girl._

"_Okay. On the count of three… One… Two… Three!" with all her might, Yumi successfully tossed Sachiko out of danger as she hanged on for dear life. Sachiko landed hard on the ground but she didn't care. All she could think about was getting Yumi into safety as well. "Yumi! Here, take my hand" she reached out her hand for the younger girl to take. And as Yumi's hand made contact with Sachiko's, the ground suddenly shook as violently as ever, causing Sachiko's strong grip to slip from Yumi's hand. Sachiko could only watch in pure horror as Yumi's body fell into the dark abyss leading to nowhere._

Sayako once again sighed heavily as she finally gave up, turned around and went towards Sachiko's dresser. There she found what she was looking for and smiled triumphantly. She got the object and walked back towards Sachiko's slightly troubled sleeping figure lying on the king-sized bed covered in mattresses. She set it on her desired time and was about to place it near Sachiko's ear when the latter suddenly shot up and with terror-ridden eyes screamed a name Sayako is quite fond of.

"Yumi!" Sachiko shouted out as she abruptly got up from her bed and was fully awake as the dream still fresh in her already alert mind, the young blunette was breathing heavily as she just can't shake away the awful scenario from her thoughts even if she desperately wanted to. Sachiko was so preoccupied with the terror the dream brought at the moment that she didn't even notice Sayako's presence in the room.

After composing herself from the initial shock and making sure that the alarm clock was placed back on the dresser, Sayako couldn't help herself from feeling worried at her daughter's form. In her eyes, Sachiko was naked. Her daughter's eyes were filled with immeasurable amount of fear, something Sayako knew Sachiko rarely expressed while in the presence of others. Her worry doubled as she fathomed Sachiko didn't notice her standing beside the bed. She tentatively placed a hand on Sachiko's shoulder and was about to give it a gentle squeeze when she was caught off guard by the latter's response.

"Oh gosh, Yumi…" Sachiko clenched the bed sheets under her tight. The dream gave her such a negative effect that she began to mumble incoherent words under her breath. She was so caught up with her mumbling that when she felt a hand grab her shoulder, she took hold of the offending hand and gave it a twist. It was a technique taught by her instructors for self-defense, just in case she needed it. Her grip loosened when she heard a small yelp of pain, probably from the hand's owner she thought. She looked up and her once cold expression went into that of shock and concern.

Sayako flinched and could not help but let a yelp of pain escape her lips when Sachiko expertly twisted her arm. She noticed Sachiko looking up with a glare but soon faded when she realized it was her own mother. "Good morning, Dear. It's good to see you are finally awake and much energized. Now, I know you are enjoying your dream very much about Yumi but if you won't get up soon, you'll be late for school. C'mon now, breakfast is being served downstairs. And will you please be kind enough to let go of my hand?"

Sachiko turned pale then beet red upon realizing she just gave her dream away to her mother nonetheless. She let go of Sayako's twisted arm and muttered her apology. She faked a cough when she saw her mother's teasing and amused gaze then greeted "Good morning to you too, Mother. Alright then, I'll be down in a few minutes. If you'll excuse me?" She got out of bed, gave her mother a bow before completely disappearing into the bathroom. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw her mother smirking while looking at her retreating back. "We'll be expecting you. Please hurry up, okay?" with that said; Sachiko heard on the other side footsteps then the sound of the door being closed. She sighed; one of relief, as she concluded Sayako left her room._ 'Why does she keep on torturing me?' _She exhaled deeply as she faced her reflection in the mirror. She touched it as if she didn't recognize herself. _'That dream…' _Her strong façade faded as the dream resurfaced into her mind. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't hurt during the dance; after all, the lyrics of the song were that of an indirect confession of love. "Oh Yumi, you were so beautiful yesterday. The way you danced and moved your body so gracefully, it was like magic!" Sachiko twirled around the big space of her bathroom. "And the sound of your voice! Oh my, I could just swoon over you my whole life! I just wish you danced with me though rather than her…" her dreamy expression turned into one of hate as the beholder of her love's heart came into mind. "Toudou Shimako…" she smiled smugly to herself as she snickered evilly and threw her fists up to show her determination "Bring it on!" After that sudden declaration, eerie laughter was heard from Sachiko's bathroom.

* * *

Breakfast was being served at the dining table of the Ogasawara estate. The Ogasawara men once again joined the women in having their meal. The strange thing now is that Sachiko, their beloved daughter slash granddaughter, was looking slightly troubled and deep in thought while eating her meal; and Sayako, Sachiko's mother and Tooru's wife, had an uncharacterized silly grin plastered upon her lips.

'_Why in the world is Sayako smirking?'_ Tooru glanced towards his father, sending him a silent question of "What's going on? Did we miss something?" through his eyes. Endo, the eldest Ogasawara around, understood what his son was trying to convey to him and shrugged his shoulders as his form of saying he has no clue. Tooru then glanced towards his wife as their eyes met. He sent a silent question then saw a mischievous glint shimmer in Sayako's eyes. That certain spark made Tooru even more confused and his curiosity getting the best of him, he started to say towards his only daughter "Sachiko honey, I'm sorry…" He saw Sachiko looking up at him, confusion etched upon her lovely face. It was a sight to see for everybody in the table. Sachiko was too cute at the moment. They all tried their best to stifle their laughter in order not to hurt the blunette's feelings since the youngest of them rarely showed emotion.

Sachiko was too focused with her worry regarding her mother that when she heard her name being called by Tooru, she abruptly looked at him with a lot of confusion as to why he is apologizing for no specific reason. She noticed that everyone in the table were trying hard not to laugh at her probably cute and rare expression but failed miserably. She coaxed a cough to hide away the blush that was threatening to form on her cheeks. She turned her attention towards her meal, sliced a piece of her delicious steak as a way ofsignaling Tooru to continue his sentence. "But are you feeling alright?" she heard him say. She once again looked up and innocently answered "Why of course I am, Father. What makes you say that?" She took a piece of the sliced meat and placed it in her mouth without breaking the gaze she and her father shared.

Tooru looked at his daughter skeptically. He inwardly sighed as he had expected that to be Sachiko's answer. He turned towards Sayako and asked "How about you, my lovely wife? Do you know why Sachiko is all flustered and troubled at the moment?"

Sayako stopped eating, looked towards the surprised Sachiko then to the two expecting men of the house. She pondered hard on what she was going to say. After a few minutes of contemplating, she opened her mouth to say "The joys of being young." that single phrase made everybody look at her in utter confusion. The sentence was so vague that they just couldn't help their reaction. Tooru was about to speak when Sayako continued "You meet someone, fall for them, they fall for you then gain a happy ending to your story. But of course, every story must have a climax; every hero must have a villain. And so you must fight hard for it. Don't you agree, Sa-chan?"

Sachiko choked on her food and stared at her mother disbelievingly, with her mouth slightly agape as she heard her mother's not-so-innocent way of giving her away. "Right" she tried to answer calmly but her cracking voice gave her away. She quickly stood up and bid her goodbyes, not giving her snickering mother and obviously lost father and grandfather a chance to question her any further. She greeted every house help that she came across upon and got in the awaiting black sedan. With that, they drove off for Lillian high school.

"Sayako, what did you mean with the statement you made earlier?" Tooru asked his wife who was looking at the retreating car where Sachiko was.

The lady in question briefly looked towards the man and mysteriously smiled. She confidently said "I'm sure things will get interesting soon and in time you will understand, Tooru. Shall we get going, dear? It would be rude of us if we'll be late for our meeting"

With a defeated tone, Tooru said "Very well"

Sachiko sighed for the umpteenth time today._ 'It's still early and yet I feel tired'_ she grimly thought as she composed herself before exiting her car. As she stepped out of the vehicle, she thanked her driver then graciously walked towards Lillian grounds.

* * *

Once again, thank you for reading :) And I'd appreciate it if you'll leave a review and tell me your thoughts :)


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Uhm, so hey guys. How have you been? Okay, first of all, I would like to apologize for the really, really long wait on this update. Secondly, I hope you aren't mad with me. I have contemplated a lot of times before to post a note that I can't update in a long time but thought against it. If I remember correctly, I think _AsulNaRosa_ mentioned it on one of her notes that she hates authors that do it.

Also, I send my special thanks to my ever talented and playful beta-reader, **Miracles79**. You're as great as ever! Thank you for taking your time with this. Really, thank you.

I dedicate this chapter to **teufelchen29** and **imani456**. I know I've made you guys wait so once again, I apologize.

**Nyaaaaaaah**: Sorry for the wait and I thank you for the review! I hope this one is worth your time.

**Witchgar**: I've missed you guys too! And great story you got there, A Woman Scorned (I believe). Sadly I haven't read it thoroughly, (got a lot of stuff to do) but I got a feeling it's going to be a great journey! Thank you for the review, by the way. And I hope you enjoy this one as well.

**G-girl**: I'm sorry for that. And I appreciate your ideas. I may consider the appearance of Yumi's parents Thank you for the review and I hope you enjoy this one as well.

**Honulicious**: Honestly, I have no idea XD I'm having difficulties on my decisions. Heh heh :D Thank you for the review and I hope you enjoy this one as well.

**Orangesora**: Same here, my friend. Haha! Thank you for the review and I hope you enjoy this one as well.

**Guest**: I'll do my best to write more. Thank you for the review and I hope you enjoy this one as well.

**Waht**: My apologies. I really didn't mean to upset you about that. Thank you for the review and I hope you enjoy this one as well.

**2****nd** **Guest**: Thank you so much. It humbles me upon knowing you're enjoying it. Thank you for the review and I hope you enjoy this one as well.

Anyways, here's another installment. And I'm really hoping that this is worth the wait and you guys are still reading this. Again, I'm very sorry about the delay and please excuse any mistakes in here.

**DISCLAIMER: I definitely don't own Maria-sama Ga Miteru. All of which belongs to their respective owners.**

* * *

_**Chapter 9**_

* * *

Within the densely packed school grounds of Lillian Academy, the bells chimed their usual tune, signaling that it was time for lunch to commence.

"Here Yumi, say 'aah'" Shimako instructed sweetly, as she held the neatly wrapped rice ball aloft towards Yumi's lips.

Shimako's unexpected actions caused a beautiful red tint to appear on Yumi's porcelain cheeks as she nervously looked around her. Silently, Tsutako and Yoshino watched the pair with amused eyes wordlessly noting how cute Yumi appeared with such an alluring blush, not to mention Shimako's almost motherly affections which complimented such a sweet image.

Yumi, although clearly embarrassed, secretly enjoyed the attention and gratefully accepted Shimako's kind invitation. Her heart skipped a beat as she took the offered food into her mouth and chewed it lightly.

"It's delicious Shimako. Wow, you're such a great cook!" the young Fukuzawa commented earnestly, earning a blush from the equally satisfied blonde.

Tsutako and Yoshino continued to watch in silence and noted how sweet the two acted with each other. The way Yumi smiled at Shimako was just breathtaking; and how the latter took to heart the former's comment was especially heartwarming. They shared knowing looks with each other as they observed Shimako forgetting to add the necessary honorifics to Yumi's name. Then, from the corner of their eyes, they saw two figures slowly making their way towards the oblivious pair.

A few seconds later, they heard a cough from behind.

* * *

"Sachiko, where are we going" Rei asked after she has been practically dragged along by her fellow en bouton as soon as they were dismissed for lunch. Their path was constantly impeded however as they were forced to greet brave yet nervous students along the way. After another few minutes of silence, Rei spoke up "Hey Sachiko, where are we-" her questioning tone trailed away as she noticed Sachiko rooted to the ground behind the gymnasium's corner wall. _That's strange. Why are we here? _Rei pondered, well aware of the fact that Sachiko despised ginkgo trees.

"Hey Sachiko, what are you looking at?" the Kendo captain stepped forward and asked, following the blunette's line of sight. She wasn't able to hide the small smirk that formed on the corner of her lips as she watched Yumi and Shimako becoming lost in their own world—unaware of Yoshino and Tsutako watching them intently.

Turning towards Sachiko, Rei faced her friend once again. Sachiko looked unusually calm. _Well that's new… Has she given up already? _Just as she thought this, Rei felt Sachiko brush past her looking irritated and undeniably fumed.

_Then again…_

Amused, she followed the seemingly enraged heiress just in case something regrettable would happen. _It's unlikely but best to be sure. _She gave as an afterthought musing that it would be silly for Sachiko to do such a thing.

Sachiko made her way along the pathway towards the place where Yumi ate lunch, she had thankfully, heard mention of the location from Yumi's gossiping classmates so she knew where to go. She heard Rei's persistent questions but decided to ignore her for a little while.

The Heiress knew it was rude but she couldn't bear the idea of Rei knowing her intentions especially since it would result in being teased to death along the way. That would be an unwelcome distraction, and embarrassing on her part, so she opted out of it.

She once again heard Rei speak up but her companion stopped midway as she halted dead in her tracks. Once Sachiko was about to turn the last corner, she witnessed a sight which made her blood boil in jealousy.

Right in front of her very eyes, she saw Yumi and Shimako acting happily while in the company of Rei's petite soeur and an unnamed classmate. She could sense the smirk that was becoming more prominent on her friend's face, as she was studied carefully.

Sachiko shrugged it off however and calmly proceeded towards, in her own way of describing it, the flirting Shimako, her flustered beloved and company. Deep inside, she was very much irritated and it showed in her cerulean eyes. And so, she purposely coughed quite loudly in order to get their full attention.

* * *

The four individuals looked towards the source of the unexpected sound. Yumi's eyes growing wide while Shimako's narrowed dangerously; the other two however seemed unfazed by their newest visitors.

"Sachiko-sama! Gokigenyou!" the poor brunette stuttered after bowing, surprised by the sudden arrival of the Rosa Chinensis en bouton. _What is she doing here? More importantly, how did she know I was here in the first place?_

Yumi saw irritation in the senior's eyes while she looked towards Shimako's unperturbed profile. She swallowed an invisible lump in her throat as she averted her gaze towards the equally pissed Shimako. The tension between the two was felt by everyone present and a sense of dread began to wash over the entire group.

_Oh no…_

"Gokigenyou, Yumi. Why are you eating your lunch at a place like this?" the gentle reply caught everyone by surprise.

Turning, they saw the once fuming Ogasawara maiden now wearing a bright smile countering the aura of pure happiness.

_Huh? Wasn't Sachiko-sama mad a moment ago?_ Yumi dismissed the thought as relief flooded her system.

The tension diminishing slightly with Sachiko's sudden change in demeanor. But despite this, she could clearly see that Shimako and Sachiko were throwing deathly stares towards each other. She was about to answer the question when someone else spoke up.

"Yumi-san is trying to avoid being interviewed by the Newspaper Club," said Tsutako.

"I see. Our Newspaper Club can be rather pushy when there is news to be found," answered Sachiko with a look of thoughtfulness.

With her index finger touching her chin, Sachiko smirked as an idea popped into her mind. Upon seeing the devious smile, the other Lillian students gulped audibly except for Shimako who was busy figuring out what kind of extraordinary plan Sachiko had thought of in her attempts to snatch Yumi away from her, again.

"Accept my rosary, Yumi. If you do, I'll do an interview on your behalf," proposed the blunette.

"What?!" came the unified reply of the three freshmen while Yumi stared wide-eyed at her seniors.

Rei sighed dramatically upon hearing the silly proposal of her friend. Though, the blonde was desperately trying to hide the smile that wanted to surface.

"That's-" Shimako was about to say when she felt Yoshino's hand on her shoulders, telling her to calm down telepathically.

On the other hand, after regaining some of her composure, Yumi sighed exasperatedly then asked politely, "Was there something you needed from me, Sachiko-sama?"

"That's right. I wanted to give this to you" Sachiko said while handing down a booklet. She blushed when their hands made contact and to hide it from the others, she quickly explained what it was as she noticed Yumi's confused features.

"This is the script for the play. I highlighted the lines of the Prince in blue, to make it easier for you…" The blush on her face deepened upon receiving an appreciative smile from her underclassman. The smile was to die for and made her heart beat faster.

She knew that she was reaching her limit and her knees would give away any moment if she was to stay any longer so she hastily bid her farewell to the group and left, dragging a completely bemused Hasekura Rei with her.

…But not before sending a look of challenge in Shimako's direction.

As they were sure the two upperclassmen were out of earshot, Yumi flipped through the pages as Shimako tried to cool down.

"Well that was a shock" all movement halted and the girls turned towards Yoshino.

"What was?" Yumi and Shimako asked simultaneously, each with a face that showed total confusion.

Tsutako quickly took a well-timed shot of the two girls' priceless expressions.

After noticing the flash they knew came from a certain photographer, Yumi and Shimako tried their best to glare at their friend.

Tsutako heartily laughed while looking at the supposedly annoyed classmates of hers.

"Oh c'mon, cut me some slack. I can't help it if the two of you make the funniest facial expressions," said the giggling girl.

"It's not funny!" they once again exclaimed together successfully making Yoshino join in the laughter.

The young bouton however waved her hands in surrender when she received a threatening glare from the pair who eyed her intensely. The annoyed stare caused her to gulp quite audibly as she nervously refrained her previous actions.

"Hey hey, calm down you two. We were just joking… But regarding your earlier question, I was just surprised that Sachiko-sama would come all this way considering the amount of Gingko trees present in here," she stated while gesturing at their background.

"That's right," said Tsutako, favorably shifting the attention of the group away from Yoshino. Seeing the questioning look on both her friends' eyes, she added;

"It's because Sachiko-sama hates Gingko nuts. Anything related to them, she absolutely despises."

A look of realization crossed Yumi's features and Shimako's was of surprise when they saw Yoshino bobbing her head in approval.

After a few seconds of silence…

"How could _she_ despise Gingko nuts? I mean, why would anyone hate them in the first place!" burst Shimako out of the blue. The suddenness of it all effectively surprised her companions.

_Woah! Okay, Heart. Calm down. Calm down. Just breathe in then out. Breathe, breathe. Geez, this girl can _literally_ kill me every time she shrieks like that! Gotta be careful…_

_Well… That was rather unexpected…_

_Huh, I never knew Shimako loves Gingko nuts so much…_

The exclamation made way to different kinds of thoughts from the girls:

One had her soul almost fleeing from her body as she was easily scared due to her heart problem;

The other wore an evil smirk, eyes shining in mischievousness upon discovering another interesting fact about the ever serene Rosa Gigantea en bouton;

And, the last one had a pure look of adoration. She, after all, saw another cute side of Shimako.

Though one thing's for sure, they had never ever expected Shimako to love such a… _peculiar_ fruit.

If anyone saw them right now, there's no doubt they'd be completely baffled with the scene. Each of them was sporting a different look: alarm, mischievousness, adoration and fury. Yep. A baffling scene indeed.

Meanwhile, as the others were still recovering from their respective feelings, Shimako's mind was fuming with anger. Who wouldn't be? She had just discovered that her arch nemesis despised her cherished Gingko nuts?

_How dare she hate such amazing fruits? I'd say she has completely lost it!_

If any person—whether they are smart, beautiful and wealthy—or any animal that is wild or tame, were to say gingko nuts were awful, she would undoubtedly despise them in return.

"Shimako, your face is really red. Are you alright?" asked Yumi. She became worried with the thought that Shimako might have possibly caught a fever from her growing hatred of Gingko-nut haters.

Hearing the soothing voice of the brunette immediately calmed the rage inside Shimako's heart. She warmly smiled.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you for your concern, Yumi-san," she replied, nodding her head in the process.

Both Tsutako and Yoshino immediately noticed the added honorifics. They faced each other and gave the other a grin that spoke volumes of too much atrocity.

Yumi was not fully convinced of the girl's statement. But when she saw that oh so dazzling smile, her knees felt like jelly and wisely decided to put the issue to rest, for now at least. She smiled in return, stood up and stretched out her hand, an act which made her companions puzzled.

Shimako was about to voice out their identical question when Yumi beat her to it.

"Shall we go now, Shimako? Tsutako? Yoshino?" she asked, looking at each individual with a questioning yet playful gaze.

The brunette was trying her best to stifle the giggle that threatened to escape her lips upon seeing an even more confused expression on her companions' faces.

"Don't you guys think we'll be late for class if we don't hurry up?"

Realization dawned upon the three Lillian students.

They abruptly stood up and walked past the chuckling Yumi with a cute tint of red adorning their cheeks.

* * *

As classes ended, Shimako, Yumi and Yoshino walked together towards the Rose Mansion.

_Ugh Yoshino-san, you couldn't have picked a better time to walk together with us!_

A lovely en bouton thought as she watched with twitching brows her two companions who seemed completely unaware of her presence.

_Seriously! Just what are you talking about that has Yumi so animated?_

Her mouth thinned into a straight line as she attempted to discreetly eavesdrop on their little conversation.

"Really? You peeped through Rei-sama's bedroom door?" asked Yumi with a soft enough voice so as not to let Shimako hear their conversation.

Yoshino nodded in response.

"And coincidentally she was shirtless at that time?"

She was completely dumbfounded upon learning how bold Yoshino could get if she was given the chance to do so. _It's better if Shimako-chan doesn't hear this. I'm getting embarrassed just by listening to Yoshino's stories!_

"You bet! And let me say this… She is capital H. O. T. HOT! Smoking hot, if I may say so myself!"

_Smoking hot huh?_

Yumi grinned on that certain comment of her friend.

"Well I say. You're lucky to have seen such an amazing masterpiece."

"Ha! Oh I'm really lucky alright! But you know… I've already expected her to have such a well-built and _sexy_ figure. All that heavy training she has done as the captain of the Kendo team weren't just for show."

_A sexy body…_

Unconsciously, Yumi snuck a glance towards Shimako's direction.

"Though having such an expectation, I couldn't help but drool…"

"…"

_Shimako…_

Let's just say that at this point, Yoshino's sensible sentences were becoming nothing more than useless blabbering in Yumi's perspective. Her young mind wandered off to a far more interesting subject.

_I wonder what your body looks like from the back without clothes on._

Another sneaky glance to her side.

_Your skin is picture perfect just with the presence of clothes. If I were completely honest, I want to see them without such a hindrance. Just looking at your figure, you must have a slender and curvaceous body… Wait! Just what was I imagining?!_

The imaginative brunette hid her face with both hands in an attempt to cover her without a doubt crimson and expressive face.

This surprising act caused the blabbing Yoshino and the eavesdropping, yet miserably failing, Shimako to look at their friend with a face that spoke volumes of their curiosity and concern.

_Huh? I wonder what has gotten Yumi so red all of a sudden._ Shimako looked at the latter as she saw different emotions running amuck on the petite girl's lovely face.

_But seeing her like this, I think I'd die any second! She's just too cute to be resisted!_

As of the moment, there's no doubt that the Angel of Lillian's heart was swooning from the emanated cuteness of her love one.

_Yumi-san's so red? I wonder wha- Oh!_

An evil smirk formed on the corner of Yoshino's lips as a highly plausible reason dawned upon her. _Hohoho! My, my Yumi. I never knew an innocent being such as you could be such a naughty girl. Could it be that you were imagining Shimako removing her clothes without a single clue that you're looking?_

Now, all she has to do is prove her inevitable theory of evilness.

_And I'll be able to tease Yumi-san for as long as I want! Well, without the presence of her two feisty angels of course. So Yumi, present the truth to me!_

Every girl in Lillian, Shimako and Yumi included, felt chills running down their spine as Yoshino's evil thoughts and devilish mental laughter have been somewhat embarked into their minds.

The blushing girl felt intense gazes directed at her, one felt like it had malicious intentions while the other felt as if they were in a trance.

_Okay that chill just now did not feel good at all. _She worriedly thought as she gathered all her courage to look at the two individuals who were boring holes into her body. But as soon as she faced them, she had immediately regretted her decision.

_Damn! I shouldn't have looked around,_ she thought with a sigh for what she saw gave her the creeps—especially seeing Yoshino's malefic expression. But upon seeing Shimako's concerned and rather dreamy demeanor, her already crimson face flared even more.

Unbeknownst to the tomato-faced girl, she had unknowingly turned towards her doom. She completely verified the truth behind Yoshino's accurate comprehension.

Noticing Yoshino's grin widen, anxiety instantly shot through Yumi's body. Her hands and face produced a little amount of sweat.

Snapping out of her dreamy reverie, Shimako noticed the sudden change of her love's attitude. Worry once again invaded her.

Undoubtedly, the other individual among them took note of it as well and spoke up before her fellow rose could even voice out her concern.

"What have you been thinking Yumi-san?" asked Yoshino teasingly, syllabicating the girl's name in the process.

"W-what have I been thinking?" the girl in question gulped as the erratic beating of her heart increased. _Yoshino-san! I swear, I'm gonna choke you to death! Just how do you expect me to respond to that question of yours?!_

"What's wrong Yumi-san? Cat got your tongue?"

_This is so much fun!_ Yoshino snickered at her friend's speechlessness.

_Yoshino-san! I swear. You can be so evil if you want to be. But please! Quit that! If Shimako asks anythi-_

"Are you ok Yumi? You're really red. Are you sick or anything?" Shimako asked, pressing her own forehead to the latter's which was a total bummer for Yumi.

_Dear Maria-sama, you may get me now. I am absolutely ready to die from humiliation._

Yoshino guffawed. _Oh this is totally priceless! Men, I wish I brought my camera with me! Oh well, there's always a next time neh, Yumi-san?_

_Oh Maria-sama, where are you?! White light? Anyone?_

Poor Yumi looked so mortified that her mouth alternatively opened then closed; successfully earning giggles from everyone they passed by.

"Yumi?" asked Shimako.

"Uhh, uhm… Y-yeah. O-of course. I'm alright, definitely! W-why would you think I'm not?" she stumbled out her reply looking as beet as ever.

"Ahahaha! Oh you are priceless Yumi-san! Hahaha! Oh I think I'm going to suffer from muscle pains," Yoshino blurted out while holding her stomach from the slight pain she felt from her sudden outburst of laughter.

A few minutes later, she crouched to the ground as she couldn't bear it anymore, tears slipping past her eyes.

"Yoshino-san, are you alright?" asked the ever left out Shimako. She crouched down to the ground as well, trying to ease the pain by patting Yoshino's back.

"Just leave her be Shimako. I'm sure she's perfectly fine," the brunette said. Yumi glared at her still-laughing-crouching-on-the-ground-in-pain friend. _I can't believe this girl. _She mentally harrumphed.

The braided-haired girl was about to comment back when someone spoke up from behind them, completely scaring the crap out of them.

"Yoshino-san, what happened to you? Do you have some stomach pain? Do you want to go home and miss the meeting today?" inquired an amused voice.

Out of fear, the three girls directly spun around to the source of the voice only to sigh in relief upon knowing it was only Rosa Gigantea.

Sei arched an eyebrow upon registering the somewhat unusual reaction she got from her favorite underclassmen.

"Rosa Gigantea!" exclaimed Yoshino.

"Sei-sama!" squeaked Yumi.

"O-Oneesama?" questioned Shimako.

It took them awhile before they uniformly addressed their senior with the customary greeting before offering a stiff bow.

_How interesting…_

Disliking the tense atmosphere, Shimako decided to break the ice and calmly ask her sister, "What are you doing here, Oneesama?"

_I wonder what had gotten them so scared. _She stared at the three youngsters, completely baffled as to why they each gave her a stuttering and somewhat awkward greeting. _Pff, their reaction just now... They were just so in synch that they reminded me of…_

"The three musketeers!" the blonde suddenly blurted out her thoughts. That itself earned her a confused look from the others.

But before one of them could even ask her all about it, the ever clever Sei said with her trademark grin, "So are you girls just going to stand there for the rest of your lives? We have a meeting to catch up to you know. Youko's going to murder us if we're late and I, for one, do not wish to die yet."

_I have a feeling things are about to get very interesting._

Though confused with their senior's words, they looked around and finally noticed that they were already standing at the entrance to the Rose Mansion, entirely blocking the pathway for anyone who wished to enter.

Yoshino stood up and fixed her skirt and together said their apologies for their lack of attention. They then made way for the White Rose to enter wherein Sei simply shrugged it off and went in.

When Sei felt that no one had followed her, she glanced at her back and humorously said, "Well? Are you three coming or not?"

* * *

"Gokigenyou!" the cheerful Sei greeted the two occupants of the room upon entering.

"You're late" replied Youko sternly.

"Hello Sei, Shimako, Yoshino and Yumi" acknowledged Eriko.

"Hey there Eriko!" the blonde greeted back with a flashy smile as she had decided to ignore the heated remark she received from Youko.

The latter could only sigh in resignation upon knowing full well she had been ignored.

"Relax Youko. Besides, Sachiko and Rei haven't arrived yet," Eriko said after hearing Youko's sigh.

"They aren't here yet?" questioned Sei. She found it unusual for the second years not to arrive before her. Those girls equally shared a sort of distaste when it comes to tardiness.

_Sachiko-sama's not here yet? I wonder why? _thought Yumi.

"I'm sure they will arrive here after a few minutes. Now come and enjoy some of the curry that the Sakura Club gave us for tasting. They are very delicious," announced Youko. Fortunately breaking the silence that has once again returned, just like the time before their guests arrived.

"No wonder it smells so delicious in here. But what's it for?" questioned the White Rose after sitting down on her usual seat whilst Shimako, together with Yumi and Yoshino, hurried to prepare some tea. After serving the Head Roses their tea and as well as serving some of their own, they took their respective seats and began eating some of the delicious food that was served before them.

"To answer your question Sei, they asked us for some help in regards to whether they should include these dishes on their menu for the School Festival," replied Youko.

"I see. Well I'll say, I think they should include this. It's really delicious! Who cooked it by the way?"

_Silence._

"Well?" asked Sei.

Eriko smirked. Yoshino continued munching. Shimako drank some tea. Yumi was deep in thought. Sei looked puzzled, shifting her gaze from Eriko then to Youko. The latter remained silent while resting her head on her intertwined hands though she looked a little bit nervous.

"Will somebody please tell me who? I would at least want to ask them how to make this stuff. It's really, really delicious," probed Sei.

A few moments of silence had gone by before Sei saw a shaky hand being held up. And when she saw the hand's owner, her eyes went impossibly wide.

_Click._

"Wha-?"

"Hahaha! Oh gosh Sei! Your face was priceless!" declared Eriko while holding her stomach from the bittersweet pain of laughing out loud.

"Did you get it Tsutako-san?" After saying this, she turned towards the first year student who grinned in reply.

"Why of course, Rosa Foetida. I shall have it developed by tomorrow. Do you wish to have a copy of it?"

At this point, a sudden push of the chair was heard before someone said, "Yes! I would like one!"

The rather loud and excited exclamation took everyone by surprise, causing Yoshino to choke on her process of swallowing her food; Shimako to hiccup as her drink got stuck in the middle of her throat and forcing Yumi to look up from her deep thinking.

They all looked with one raised eyebrow at the current Rosa Chinensis, in disbelief, who stood with her arms raised, looking like a child who was rather too eager to answer her teacher's simple question.

"Uh, why o"-cough- "of course, Rosa Chinensis" Tsutako sputtered a reply. _Why did my voice sound so high?!_

The eerie silence that hung once more was replaced by giggling noises as Eriko disrupted into fits of laughter. _Hahaha! First it was Sei, then Youko! Oh Maria-sama, can this day get any funnier?! Okay, I think I'm going to literally die from laughing!_

"W-what's so funny Eriko?!" Sei and Youko bellowed together. They looked at each other quizzically before the two of them colored as red as Lightning McQueen.

"Alright Youko, you can also have a copy of Sei's picture, are you happy now?" said Eriko in between laughter. A spark of mischief present in her eyes.

"E-Eriko!"

"Yes Rosa Chinensis?"

Teasing brown eyes locked with shy yet determined intense black ones.

"Okay. Cut it off you two," interjected someone.

Eriko looked away only to make eye contact with Sei. She inwardly chuckled diabolically as she saw a small flicker of jealousy in the blonde's blue ones.

"Woo easy now tiger," she then turned back towards Youko's direction and said, "your girlfriend's scary when she gets jealous."

"Wh-" started Sei but got cut off.

"Anyway Sei, how was Youko's cooking? Well basically, Youko just lent a hand with the cooking but you can still consider the food her cooking, yes?"

_I so hate you Demochin! I could just feel my body burning up from all this blushing. _Sei opened her mouth to speak but to her dismay, not a single sound came out. She tried reopening it in the hopes of emitting even a small modicum of sound but quickly decided to just shut it upon realizing her hopeless predicament.

"Oh c'mon now, Sei. You're making Youko wait, see?"

Eriko grinned slyly.

Sei looked towards Youko's direction and surely the blush she desperately tried to control came resurfacing back to her porcelain cheeks. She saw that Youko averted her gaze from her to the table, only to make eye contact with her again. _Oh sweet angels! She's insanely adorable! _Her mind dreamily sighed.

"Sei, wipe your nose clean!"

"What are you talking about Eriko? My nose is perfectly…" Sei started fiercely at first as she brought her hand to the said body part but instantly paled as she saw that her fingertips were coated with, as what she fathomed, her own blood.

"Excuse me."

Sei excused herself and dashed towards the small kitchenette away from her companions. She was about to splash some water on her face when she felt a soft, cold compress on her—specifically near her bloody nose.

She looked up and her own steel -colored eyes met with dazed dark ones. The one thing that stirred some butterflies in the blonde's stomach was the strange fact that her I-want-to-be-more-than-this friend had a little tint of red hue adorning her smooth cheeks, making her look even cuter. This small observation made her pale cheeks adorn such color as well.

"Youko," she shakily said. The girl's name came out as a breathy whisper.

After being in a state of heart-thumping euphoria, the two individuals who were incredibly lost as they sank in and stared longingly at the other's distinct features was brought back into reality as they heard a rush sound of a chair being pushed in the room. Curious, they peaked at what was going on.

The two of them stepped out but remained on the entrance from where they were across the room; Sei leaning against the wall, looking with merriment while Youko leaned towards her body with the cloth still in hand. They saw that the others all turned their attention towards Yumi who was standing rather awkwardly with an apologetic smile on her lips.

"Uh, uhm…"

Yumi cleared her throat after a few futile attempts of uttering a coherent sentence. _I really should think things through. Where are all the years of training I got before coming here? Gosh, it seems that my face will always be flustered whenever I'm with these people._

Seeing the cute freshman's face undergo a bit of a shuffle of emotions, ones from embarrassment to complete horror then to being downright flustered, Eriko couldn't help the small giggle that past her lips. This effectively made the others stifle their own laughter as the young Fukuzawa gave them a threatening glare. Unfortunately, Yumi's glare resulted in a series of uncontrollable giggles from the girls.

"I-it's not funny! S-stop laughing you guys!" was her whiny request.

"Not in a million years Yumi-san."

"Yoshino-san! How could you?! I'm so hurt by that!" the young girl declared dramatically.

"Oh gosh Yumi! That was so… Were you able to take a shot of that Tsutako-san?" beamed Shimako looking towards the girl in question.

"Shimako?!" Yumi shrieked and looked towards Shimako's direction only to find the young bouton trying but failing miserably in settling down her mirth.

Another shocked expression graced her already shock-ridden face.

_Click._

"Oh you bet Shimako-san," was the entertained reply.

Yumi looked to her right to find her friend and classmate, Tsutako, sporting a face-splitting grin. The evilness behind that smile made her shudder visibly due to the unpleasant chill.

_Oh dear Maria-sama, I didn't expect you to answer my question this fast._ After that thought, Eriko settled down.

Throughout the whole exchange however, the ever cunning Eriko stayed unusually silent for her attention was somewhere else. _I wonder what those two think they are doing in a public place such as this._

Glancing across the room, she saw her two friends looking at them then looked at each other. Apparently, they didn't care about the commotion going on in the area as they got lost in the other's eyes.

"Youko," Sei whispered as low as she could when she felt an arm snake around her neck while the dampness of the cloth was still there. And although she could feel that her blood was rushing back to her face once again, she struggled to make eye contact with the person who had cemented a special place in her heart.

"Yes Sei?"

"Y-you could stop now" _Curses!_ Sei bit the inner walls of her cheeks to prevent herself from making a sound she would surely regret for the rest of her life. Especially when Eriko was in the vicinity.

_Her lips… Oh dear Lord, her lips are just so near!_ Sei's mind was filled with thoughts that made her feel increasingly hot all over. And the fact that Youko's breath was fanning her face due to their proximity only added to the sweet torture she was feeling.

"Why?"

"I don't think I have blood on my lips anymore," was her husky answer.

Youko looked skeptical for a moment before her lips curved up into a sly grin, "What are you talking about? There's still some over here…"

_Did… Did Youko just purr at me?!_ The butterflies in Sei's stomach intensified as Youko traced the outline of her lower lip with her forefinger, making the blonde squirm under the trailing fire that the touch left on her skin.

_I_ _can't take this! She's so seductively sexy at the moment! At this rate I can't control myself! Oh no, what to do? What to do? _Her eyes darted everywhere, anywhere as long as they weren't focused on a certain seductress.

Though, all thoughts soon left her mind when she felt something soft and warm touch her own. Her eyes slowly closed, but not before noticing the wide toothy smile on Eriko's face.

* * *

I hope this was alright. And thank you for reading!

Have a great day everyone!


	10. Chapter 10

Alright, so this was not edited. Not at all, but once **Miracles79** would send me that version, I'd replace this one with that. Thank you so much for the reviews and I'm really sorry this took so long. Had a tough time with this one, guess you could say the ever known writer's block got to me plus I got busy with summer school then the beginning of a new semester.

Thank you for reading.

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own any of these characters.

* * *

_**Chapter 10**_

* * *

Sei's posture immediately became rigid due to the contact of Youko's sweet full lips against hers, though she immediately relaxed afterwards when her initial shock wore off. She really wanted to keep an eye on their surroundings but her eyes were slowly closing in their own accord. Treacherous body of hers.

_Youko is kissing me!_ Desperately trying to swallow back her moan, she eagerly returned the kiss upon feeling Youko pulling back. _Don't want her to get the wrong idea after all,_ she thought.

_What are you doing?_—screamed Youko's mind. _Oh no, she's going to be disgusted with me!_ With that thought in mind, she started moving away. But upon doing so, she felt Sei's right arm encircle her waist and the other tilting her chin and she felt the other girl pull her, causing their figures to fully flush with each other.

_Wha-_ Youko's mind went blank upon feeling Sei kissing her back.

_This is heaven,_ both of them blissfully thought.

The White Rose was seriously contemplating whether her sanity is intact or not. Youko, the object of her heart's desire, just bravely made a move on her.

In the meeting room.

And in front of their oblivious friends.

_Well, it's a good thing they are busy._

For sure, they will both explode from embarrassment of getting caught, especially by a devilish Rosa Foetida.

_Eriko! Well damn…_

Gently pulling back, Sei had a huge grin on her face while adoringly looking at a rather dazed Youko. She chuckled a bit. _She's so adorable_.

"Youko?" she whispered and got a hum as a response. She smiled and cupped one of her love's cheeks. She moved a bit in order for her back to be facing the others. Still in a hushed tone, she said, "We should get back."

Sei saw Youko pout at her words and she nearly died with the cuteness of the action. The beating of her heart skyrocketed and for a minute she worried that her friends would be able to hear it amongst the noise inside the room.

"Do we have to?"

She smiled at the somewhat whiny statement from the usually serious Red Rose. She gave a hearty, breathy laugh while tenderly stroking the girl's porcelain cheek. "You'll be the death of me, I swear." With that, she gave Youko a quick peck on the lips and intertwined their hands before slowly walking back to the still bantering first years. They both chuckled at the scene they were witnessing.

"Shimako-chan!" whined Yumi before turning her attention towards a grinning photographer. She held out her hand as she said, "This is definitely not funny. Tsutako-san, may I please have your camera?"

"What do you need it for?" asked the aforementioned brunette with a sickeningly innocent expression.

"Tsutako-san," threatened Yumi playfully with a small glare while taking, what she hoped was a subtle step towards the girl. Unfortunately for Yumi, Tsutako possesses keen eyes so the girl instinctively took a step back.

"What do you need it for, Yu-mi-san?" Tsutako mischievously reiterated, a smirk adoring her features while taking a few more steps back.

Instead of answering, Yumi paced the room with long and fast strides towards her moving friend. They chased each other for awhile and all the occupants of the room watched in amusement and completely missed the door opening.

Before Yumi could grip Tsutako's arms, she bumped hard into someone. And due to her rather fast pace, she and the person she crashed into tumbled down on the mansion's floor with a loud thud. The room fell silent.

Groaning, the brunette picked herself up and started apologizing profusely to whoever she bumped into. "I am so sorry. I was not looking. I mean, I did not notice and—" her rambling immediately ended when she noticed who it was. She gasped.

_She's awfully silent_. Rei once again shot her companion a worried glance.

"May I ask why are you glancing at me every once in a while, Rei?" the blunette asked whilst watching her friend from the corner of her eye as they reached the statue of the Virgin Mary.

They both sent a quick and silent prayer before continuing their way to the Rose Mansion.

The blonde sighed which earned her an arched brow from Sachiko. _Here goes nothing_. She shot a quick sideways glance before focusing her attention once more on the graveled path. "You're awfully silent," she voiced out her thoughts from earlier.

"Silent?" questioned Sachiko as she turned to face her friend.

"Yes. You have been silent ever since we knew Kashiwagi-kun would be visiting today," reasoned the blonde. She slightly cringed upon seeing the hard look on Sachiko's eyes. "Sa—"

"Ah, Sacchan!"

The two maidens whipped their faces towards the source of the voice and saw a waving Kashiwagi Suguru with a wide grin on his boyish handsome features.

Sachiko's features immediately went stoic to which didn't go unnoticed by Rei as they approached him.

"Gokigenyou," greeted Rei with a smile once they stood a few feet from each other to which Suguru returns with a bow and greeting of his own.

"Gokigenyou Rei-san," he stated then turned towards Sachiko with a dazzling smile, "Sacchan."

"Suguru-kun," replied the blunette with a tight smile and an equally cold tone.

After the pleasantries were exchanged, an awkward atmosphere enveloped the three. Rei throwing wary glances between her friend and the young man. Sachiko looked like she was about to lose it at any second while Suguru kept beaming at the two ladies, seemingly ignorant to the tenseness of the situation or simply chose to ignore it.

Rei gave out an inaudible sigh and purposely coughed out loud, "Well. Shall we get going?"

Sachiko nods then turns away. She pauses before saying, "That's a good idea Rei. We better go before Onee-sama gets worried and sends out a search party for us."

With that, she promptly walked away.

Suguru and Rei shared a look before following after the en bouton.

"She isn't too pleased with my presence, is she?"

Rei glanced at her right and saw Suguru with a somber expression on his face. She stopped in her tracks causing the young man to stop as well. She opened her lips to speak but was cut off by Suguru.

"I never meant to hurt her," he said with a look of regret in his eyes when he averted his gaze towards the walking Sachiko. "She deserves better. Someone who can love her wholeheartedly and give her the kind of marriage that is based on love."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I know that you are aware of our situation. You are one of her trusted friends."

When Rei remained silent, Suguru took it as a sign to continue.

"I rejected her because I know that I can't be that someone to grant her a kind of marriage that's successful and one filled with different memories whether it be good or bad," he looked directly at Rei's eyes, "I do love her but not in the way she felt for me before. She deserves someone far better than me."

Rei could only nod her head in agreement. Suguru's words rendered her speechless. She was about to respond but was once again robbed of the chance to do so because of Suguru's request.

"Help me."

"What?" she looked at him with clear confusion.

Suguru stared directly at her, blue orbs filled with determination. "Help me bring the old Sachiko back."

"What are you two doing?"

The two of them turned their attention towards Sachiko's confused voice. She had an unreadable expression but her eyes shone in impatience.

"If we don't hurry up, we will sure be late for the meeting," the blunette stated a matter of fact.

"Ah, but are we not late already?" retorted Suguru. He got a hot glare as a response and saw Sachiko resuming her walk towards the Rose Mansion. He exchanged a look with Rei before the two of them proceeded to walk in tow with the fast paced blunette.

"I would be happy to be of service but," Rei whispered as she studied her friend's back with a fond gaze, "I have a feeling our old Sachiko will be back sooner rather than later."

The rest of their walk was spent in silence.

Yumi found herself gazing at familiar yet foreign sapphire eyes. Beneath her, a splitting image of a certain upperclassman was what greeted her line of sight. Although instead of long raven tresses, the figure underneath her had short wavy raven locks that were slightly darker in shade.

"Hello," the man said with a hint of amusement in his voice, "I don't particularly mind that you are on top of me since you are fairly attractive but I'm afraid I don't get attracted to ladies." The last part was said in a whisper so that only the two of them could hear.

Yumi nervously swallowed a lump that formed on her throat as she hastily got up from their compromising position. She held out her hand and stuttered out an apology of some sort. Well, they all assumed it was an apology since the young brunette was talking so fast that they barely understood her words.

Suguru chuckled and gratefully accepted the help. "Thank you."

"Uh, don't mention it," Yumi squeaked, "It was my fault so uh—"

He was very much amused and entertained by the girl's bashfulness with their situation but took pity on her. The young lad held out his hand to stop the girl from blabbering out more apologies.

"Please, stop apologizing. Believe me when I say, it was a pleasure," he said teasingly and gave a playful wink making poor Yumi's cheeks to redden. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw a dangerous glint flash through Sachiko's and Shimako's eyes. He felt confused but he quickly brushed it off.

"Kashiwagi Suguru," he introduced himself to the still flustered girl.

Yumi was well aware that her signature blush was present right now. Internally scolding herself, she shakily shook the lad's hand. "Uh, Yumi. Fukuzawa Yumi. I really am sorry about earlier." She said as she offered a genuine smile at the grinning Hanadera student.

"Ah. Your name suits you perfectly, Yumi-chan," Suguru said as he gently placed a kiss at the back of the girl's hand.

Yumi could feel her cheeks doubling in warmth as she slowly retracted her hand back. She mumbled a few quick words, thanking the man for his compliment.

Suguru grinned but his smile faltered upon seeing the murderous look on not only his cousin's eyes but also on the ever serene Rosa Gigantea en bouton. _What did I do?_ He shot the snickering Rei a questioning look and got a shrug and a shake of the head as a reply.

_Interesting_. On the outside, he appeared calm and cool while studying the ladies' expressions but on the inside, he was laying out a plan in order to figure out the meaning of both of the girls' reactions to his actions on a certain adorable Fukuzawa Yumi. He also did not miss the intertwined hands of Sei and Youko.

"Welcome, Kashiwagi-kun. We are glad you could make it today," Youko said after giving out her own greeting.

"It's no problem at all."

"Shall we all take a seat then?" the Red Rose asked the whole room in general and saw the others nod in agreement.

"Yes mother. I have just arrived. No. Maybe. What? No. I guess I'd wait at their house. I want to see their reactions, I'm sure it would be entertaining," the figure chuckled, "they always have the best facial expressions. Oh, taxi!" They placed their baggage at the trunk, "alright, I have to go now mother. Yes, I'd be careful. No, I won't cause problems for my dear cousins. Of course. Take care now mother. We'll talk soon. Goodbye."

"Where to young one?" a friendly elder asked them once the door shut.

"To this place please, Sir" was their polite reply as they told him of the address.


End file.
